On Razor's Edge
by LovelyLytton
Summary: Crystal Tokyo has arrived. So has Ando Tanaka. Airmail Sequel.
1. Chapter 1

**On Razor's Edge - Chapter One**

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><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. <em>

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

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><p>"I don't get it."<br>Minako rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."  
>"No kidding. This kid ain't kidding. So explain it again." It was a Sunday afternoon in Tokyo, somewhere past the year 2000, but ages before the millennium came to an end. Early autumn, if you're interested. October, to be precise. The tenth. What, the hour too? Fine. It was the tenth of October in a year of the 2000s, and two friends, finally reconciled, were sitting on an old red couch in a small house in the outskirts of Tokyo, just as the clock chimed three.<br>"Ando."  
>"Minako."<br>The two looked at each other, and finally, Minako sighed and craned her head in the direction of the adjoining door. "TAKESHI!"

Seconds later, a white-haired man stuck his head out of said door, eyebrows furrowed, pencil in hand. "Yes?"  
>"Ando still doesn't get it."<br>Disentangling his eyebrows, he arched one and gave the blond man on his couch a level look. "Is that so?"  
>Ando shrugged a little. "You have to admit that it doesn't make much sense."<br>"Actually, if you think about it, it does," Minako quipped from the side and took a sip of her hot cappuccino. "Crap," she mumbled, and put the cup back on the saucer, gingerly touching her lip. Ando grinned and she swiftly dealt out retribution with a kick. "Don't act like you've never burnt your tongue." "Not twice in five minutes, I haven't," he answered and gave her another superior grin.  
>From the doorway, Takeshi cleared his throat. "Ando, do you need me to explain it to you or do you just want to annoy Minako?"<br>"A little bit of both."  
>The corners of Takeshi's mouth twitched. "At least you're honest."<br>"Oh yay," Minako contributed and gave her soon-to-be husband a dirty look. "Thanks for the help."  
>"You're welcome," Takeshi said seriously, and disappeared again.<br>"So, really: how does this work?" Ando asked again and Minako sighed.

The way it worked was this: Crystal Tokyo, the utopia of all utopias, was actually built on a volcano. A literal one, the kind that spews fire and lava and destruction and turns people into statues. Quite luckily for Tokyo, pre-Crystal that is, the city just happened to be inhabited by the only two people in the universe who could put a glittery, crystal seal over the volcano that was just about to start ruining it all.

And who knew, Ando thought, that if you reveal yourself to be a magical being with bloody angel-esque wings and all that jazz and then turn a dangerous volcano into a harmless sparkly palace, people will go and scream bloody murder.

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><p>Barely back for a day, Ando was still nowhere near finished with his first round "I'm back, let's celebrate, now fill me in" visits. His very first stop had been his old flat, only to find that Umino, the tosser, had recently moved out. Assuming that his friend had either finally moved in with Ami, or into the new palace, Ando had tried his luck at Ami's apartment next, only to find that not only did the woman no longer live there, the whole building was gone, replaced by a tall crystal growing towards heaven. Bit spooky, he had to admit that.<p>

Not wanting to walk into the palace before he know what exactly was going on, he had made his way to Minako's and Takeshi's place, quite confident that if a crystal decided to eat up their little house, Takeshi would probably take to hammer and chisel and chip the crystal into submission. When he arrived, he could see that all that had changed here was that the tree in the garden had grown and was now towering over the house and leaning over the wall. Other than that, the place looked just like he'd remembered.

Mina too was unchanged, and so was Takeshi, who had given him an awkward hug, and then disappeared in his study. Mina then told him about recent events, and where everyone could be found. Mamoru, Usagi, Umino, Ami and Rei had moved into the palace, partly to prove to Tokyo's population that it was just a building and not some sort of secret spaceship, and partly because it had become impossible for Mamoru and Usagi to live normally anyway, whatever that meant. Makoto and Hiromasa, Minako shared, were just where Ando had seen them last: living in their house, running their businesses, and being the textbook definition of a happy little family. Their youngest was about to turn two.

Putting off the visit to the palace for last, Ando continued to let Minako fill him in, until he eventually realised that no, none of this made any sense whatsoever. Making his apologies, he headed out, patting both his friend and her ancient Great Dane on the hand before closing the door behind him.

Ando Tanaka walked past the huge palace that now dominated the centre of Tokyo, and headed to a café in the Jubaan district. He reached his destination after twenty minutes. The place had not changed at all. Red and white striped awning, white painted walls, and the smell of coffee and cake wafting on the air.  
>There were still flower pots adorning each side of the entrance, just as he remembered, and the pink oleander was threatening to spill from them. October had not yet remembered that it was autumn rather than summer, so Tokyo was still in bloom. Ando plucked one spray of the blossoms, fastened it to the lapel of his corduroy jacket and pushed the door open. The smell of coffee and something delicious and sweet was heavy in the air. Ando took a deep breath to soak it all in: it was good to be home.<p>

The woman behind the counter was as unchanged by time as her shop.  
>"What does a man have to do to get a decent cup of coffee in this town?"<br>Makoto Obuchi looked up from the till, and smiled. There was not a single line on her face. "Say hello, for one."  
>"Hello," Ando promptly said, and grinned. He did a lot of that these days. Making his way over to the counter, he side-stepped several chairs and one little girl. The hug was brief, but genuine. "Didn't you say that you would be back the very second Crystal Tokyo came into being?" Makoto teased, and extricated herself from the embrace.<br>"Well, I was expecting a big fight, or something."  
>"No, not that," Makoto said, and her smile wore thin.<p>

"So what then," Ando asked, and sat down at the counter, all ears.  
>On the other side of the counter, Makoto shifted from one foot to the other. "It's complicated."<br>"Yeah, I just bet it is."  
>"Perhaps you should talk to Mamoru and Usagi. They'll be able to explain it much better. And Ando?"<br>"Yeah?"  
>"That kid you almost stepped on is mine."<br>Ando whipped around and stared at the child. Well, the brown curls might have given it away. "That is little Aiko? But little Aiko is supposed to be littler." He pressed his thumb and forefinger almost together. "This tiny! It's why I call her Little Aiko! She can't be Little Aiko when she's big!" he exclaimed, and managed to sound insulted by Aiko growing up.  
>Mako laughed. "She's only five. Wait until she's 18 and wearing short skirts on dates with boys who own motorcycles. Then you and Hiro can freak out together." Aiko looked up from her colouring book then and squinted at her mother. "I don't like boys. Boys are stupid."<br>Breaking into a wide grin, Ando said: "That's my girl."

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><p>Of course he had noticed that he had stopped aging. Ando wasn't a vain man, but one does need a mirror to shave, even somewhere in the Amazonian jungle, and the lack of wrinkles was something that told him that the world was changing. Or maybe it wasn't, maybe he was. Either way, the whole immortality thing had seemed to kick in by the time he turned thirty, and that was ten years ago. He had travelled for a long, long time. Not long enough to forget about all he had done wrong - he could never forget the events that led to the downfall of a whole civilisation and to Endymion dying on the moon - but long enough to understand that he was not doomed to repeat them all over again. It all came down to making the right kind of choices.<p>

This realisation had struck him somewhere in the Nicaraguan rain forest, after a rather weird satellite phone call to Mamoru, who had sounded very much like someone was was pretending to be fine while actually falling to pieces. Considering himself something of an expert with regards to breakdowns, it was then that Ando had decided to return somewhere where he would have better access to news outlets.

He had barely set foot into Granada when he heard about what had happened in Tokyo two months ago. A volcano, a crystal, a woman with wings. He was on a plane not even a day later.

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><p>It usually wasn't done; people barging into the private rooms of the future King and Queen in the palace. Of course, most people wouldn't be able to enter those rooms: there was magic to guard them, to keep them safe. But when you were a part of that magic, and the Queen once again forgot to turn the key in the lock, then you could walk right in and that was precisely what Ando did now.<p>

"So when I called you from Nicaragua, and asked whether you'd want me home, and you said, no, no, don't worry, stay, everything is fine over here, that was actually a lie, right?"

Serenity I (well, the first this millennium, but people kind of did not need to know that now) jumped up from the couch. "Ando!" She began to laugh, and flung herself into his arms. Her husband emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush in mouth. Lowering the toothbrush, Mamoru Chiba, or Endymion I (again, this millennium, thank you very much), stared at the blond man in the well-worn and crinkled corduroy jacket who was hugging his wife, who in turn, was jumping up and down without letting go.

Mamoru shook his head, and when the vision didn't change, but the man made eye contact with him, blue on blue, he stepped backwards into the bathroom, put the toothbrush away with shaking hands, and rinsed his mouth. Then he splashed some cold water on his face because this was a dream, this had to be a dream.

"It's not a dream," Ando said, reading his mind, "and you are as horrible at saying hello as you are at saying goodbye."  
>"It's impolite to sneak into people's bathrooms," Mamoru answered on auto-pilot, and Ando's face broke into a wide grin. "Well, for a king, you have a crappy bathroom. There's not even a jacuzzi."<br>"I'm not a king, I just happen to live in a palace."  
>Ando rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets. "Actually, this is what I wanted to talk to you about."<p>

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><p>Leaving a befuddled Mamoru in the capable hands of a happy Usagi, Ando headed into another part of the palace. The floor, crystal too, of course, was a shining silvery mass, but every once in a while, he could see a streak of red. It was unnerving, to say the least.<p>

Mamoru had explained that the volcano had not actually been lying dormant underneath the city since the beginning of time. It had come into being as the logical but terrifying consequence of all the negative magical energy brought into the city first by the Dark Kingdom, then by the Black Moon Clan, the Death Busters, that damn circus and finally by Galaxia.

If the general public ever found about this, there was no doubt whatsoever in Ando's mind that they would come after Mamoru and Usagi with pitch forks.

And despite having just returned from a fourteen year long trip around the world, the idea of having contributed to a fucking volcano growing under the metropolis made him want to run all the way to north pole and hide behind a polar bear or something. But he was done running, and he had made a promise fourteen years ago, one he was determined to keep.

The corridor seemed to go on forever, and even though, without a doubt, it was all very pretty, Ando couldn't help but long for the hot dusty roads of Egypt, the muddy but dangerous waters of the Amazon rivers, and the foul smell of over-filled garbage bins in summery Lisbon. Life seemed more real when it was accompanied by dirt, mud, and stench. Here, everything foul was hidden, waiting to lurch out from behind a corner. Be it the volcano underneath them, or the people around the palace, all of them represented a danger to what he held dear.

The corridor took a sudden turn to the left, and Ando began to understand what they'd meant when they said the palace had grown rather than been built. The layout was chaotic, and at times, reminded him of a cave more than a court. Lots of work would have to go towards making this place a proper home for all of them.

Finally, he reached the end of the corridor. There was only one large door, and he knew exactly who was behind it. He could tell by his own rapidly beating heart, and by the way the flames danced underneath the crystal around him. Here, they seemed peaceful, tamed.

Clearing his throat, he rocked on his heels again, this time out of nervousness, feeling for all intents and purposes like Hiromasa, who couldn't ever sit or stand still. This was it. Fourteen years, countless postcards, and more longing thoughts than he could ever count. Lifting his hand, he knocked against the door (which, surprisingly, was made from wood, and not crystal).

It was then that he remembered the tiny spray of oleander fastened to his jacket and carefully extricated it from the button hole. Heart going a million miles an hour, Ando stood in front of the big, white door, cursing himself for not bringing proper flowers, like roses. Big, red roses. Mamoru always tossed those around as Tuxedo Mask, and look where it got him! Beautiful wife, happy marriage, weird palace. Well. The latter was actually not all that good, Ando amended to himself, but then the door opened, and for the first time in fifteen years, he laid eyes on Rei Hino.

She was staring at him like a deer caught in headlights, her wide violet eyes unblinking. Had Ando been able to process thought, he would have been surprised that neither Mina, Makoto or even Usagi had told her he was heading her way tonight. But alas, he couldn't think. Hell, he could barely breathe.

"Hi," he said, feeling completely and utterly dumb. Rei blinked. "Umm... here," he added, and held out the tiny spray of pink flowers. They were already slightly wilted, the petals nodding downwards. "Got them from Makoto. Well. Stole them from Makoto. Only that I'm sure she wouldn't have minded me taking them," he rambled on, a freight train destined to go over the cliffs.

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Rei's mouth, a good sign, Ando thought frantically, and then she extended her hand and he gently placed the small flowers in it. "Thank you," she said, her voice very level, and very kind.

"Well, I... I just wanted to say hi," he said, feeling the growing the urge to slam his head against the slippery walls until this rambling idiot who had suddenly taken control of his body disappeared again.

"Welcome back, Ando." It was a small blessing to hear her say his name, his real name, and not the shadowy one that clung to his soul and whispered songs of doom into his ears. Wherever he went, whatever he did, he had always remembered her, tried to imagine the way she spoke, moved, looked. Only now, face to face with her, could Ando see how wrong his memories had been. He had only remembered her beauty and her grace, but not her humanity. The idealised picture couldn't hold a candle to her real self, to the way she stood in front of him, no longer angry or inclined to run away. She wore pyjamas, and her hair was actually... frizzy. Her eyes, so lovely, so unusual, so perfect, were little in the way sleep makes them, and Ando decided that this right here was perfection.

"There is this sonnet, you know? Shakespeare," he blurted out. "You tread on the ground too, I think. Much better this way. Not that you reek, or anything. Ah. Umm. I'll leave you to sleep, and, umm... well, I'll call you."  
>She looked down, and he lowered his head too, just to catch her expression. Did he fuck up already?<p>

But no. Rei Hino was smiling. "That would be lovely," she said, and Ando decided that actually, the stupid volcano was a godsend.

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><p>The thing was, he had his own room in the palace now. Either Mamoru or Usagi had prepared it right when they moved in, so that for two months now, it had been waiting for him. It was a nice-ish room. Located in one of the little towers facing West (annoyingly far from the East Wing, in which Rei's rooms were located), it held a desk, a chair, several bookshelves, a bed, and a wardrobe. Inside that wardrobe was a uniform, grey and sleek.<p>

Ando took it off the coat hanger and let it crumple to the bottom of the wardrobe. He wouldn't wear it, not yet, and perhaps not ever. Someone (and that person presumably answered to Umino) had arranged to have all his stuff taken here. His books were lined up on the shelves, his normal clothes were in the wardrobe, the scrapbooks with his articles in them were on the desk.

There was also a well-thumbed copy of his book, _Ando Tanaka: A one-man guide to discovering the world_. He'd had it published after the first six years of his journey, and a second volume was about to come out soon. Stepping towards the desk, he picked it up and flipped it open. Umino had written countless comments in the margins, sometimes so many that they crossed over onto the print, obscuring the words Ando had written.

It was weird: he'd never really thought about how returning to Crystal Tokyo rather than Tokyo meant that he and Umino would no longer live in their old flat. It was a logical consequence, and after fourteen years, Umino and Ami would certainly be living together, but Ando had simply never thought about how that would make him feel.

He knew that Umino's and Ami's rooms were only a three-minute walk away from his own, and that technically, they still lived under the same roof (even though this one was made from crystal rather than shingles). But despite all of that, it felt different, and he realised that it made him feel quite alone.

Stepping to the windows that lined all outward walls, he looked outside. The city was nowhere near done changing. The crystal would spread, covering every place where dark energy had left its mark. It was the Silver and Golden Crystals' nature to heal and to protect, and that was precisely what happened when Usagi and Mamoru fought back the raging volcano. It was only later that Ami and Umino (of course it would be those two smarty-pants, Ando thought with affection) realised what this one act of protection entailed: it would not stop until the city was pure again.

The people of Tokyo had no idea, all they knew was that all of a sudden, a volcano had sprung up beneath them, and that two people had done something to keep it from erupting. They might have been fine with this alone, but then the crystal started to grow, spiralling towards the sky and spreading out towards the horizon. More magic was needed to get it to grow into a palace, but every other day or so, a new crystalline tower rose in another place, destroying streets, buildings, homes in its wake. Ando could see them now, tall spires all across the city, shimmering in the moonlight.

It was flat-out terrifying.

He stepped back from the window and closed his eyes. Crystal Tokyo was not their salvation. It was their burden.

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><p>Once morning came, Ando rose from his bed and took a long, hot shower. How the palace came to have piping and electricity was something he would have to ask Takeshi, but the feeling of an unlimited amount of hot water raining down on him was pure bliss. There were many things he'd loved about travelling to distant and isolated lands; the unreliable hot water supply was not one of them.<p>

Reaching into the wardrobe (studiously avoiding the uniform), he picked out some clothes he hadn't worn in years and was surprised to find that they still fit. The t-shirt was one he'd bought in New York all those years ago. He remembered that as always, his parents had given him a check for Christmas, and then he'd gone off to buy stupidly expensive things. And yes, a simple shirt could be stupidly expensive. Shrugging on an old blazer with leather patches at the elbows (wondering when on earth he'd acquired it) and slipping into his trainers, he was soon all ready to go.

Problem was, he had no idea where.

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><p>When in doubt how to proceed, Ando always found that choosing the path of most resistance was the best way to go. In this case, seeing how it was seven thirty in the morning, it meant waking Umino Kiichi.<p>

He'd seen his friend twice in the past fourteen years: once when he returned to Tokyo for a very brief visit on Umino's 29th birthday (Ando had been in and out of the country within 12 hours) and once when Umino travelled to Greece after he'd finished his dissertation. The two of them spent four weeks looking at old temples and basking in the sun. That was eight years ago, and he hadn't seen his friend since.

Not even debating whether he ought to knock at the door, Ando simply pushed it open and walked in. Of course, Ami was already gone. He'd expected nothing else. Minako had told him how Ami was working in the University Hospital and how they all saw precious little of her. Unlike his own room, this one was actually more like a flat. He'd have to talk to Usagi and Mamoru and ask why he only get his little room in the tower, and that dolt Umino was awarded a sprawling set of chambers. Passing through what he reckoned to be the living-room, he entered a book-lined study and promptly realised that dear old Umino had not put all of his books into the tower room. That copy of _Don Juan_over there was certainly his own, Ando thought, and snatched it from the shelf. Repeating the process whenever he saw one of his own old books, he finally entered the bedroom with a big stack under each arm.

The only part of Umino he could see was his head, a wild mass of blond curls draped over pillows and skin alike. He still wore it relatively short though. Ando would bet his hiking boots on the fact that Umino wasn't going to wear his uniform either.

When Umino made a satisfied little sleep sound, Ando decided that it was time to wake the idiot. He was hungry, he wanted breakfast, and no-one had told him where the kitchen was. Looking down, he saw that neither Umino nor Ami had put a carpet on the floor: he was standing on crystal.

Grinning, Ando let go of the books, two stacks of stolen goods hitting the floor with an earth-shattering sound.  
>Umino shot up in bed."What what wha?" he mumbled, eyes wide, confused, and panicky until they focused on Ando.<br>"Hi, you stole my books, wanna go get breakfast?"

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><p>"Why did I get such a shit room?"<br>Umino, now dressed and awake, rolled his eyes. "What about the room in the tower with the ten windows and the excellent view is it that you don't you like?"  
>"I don't have a living-room. You and Ami have a living-room, a study, and a bedroom."<br>"We are also able to keep it clean."  
>Ando snorted. "No, she is, you're just along for the ride."<br>"We can get you another room though, if you really don't like it. Perhaps the dungeons? With some nice bars in front of the door."  
>"This place has a dungeon? No wonder the people find it creepy."<br>"The people haven't even been in here."  
>Ando's eyebrows shot upwards. "You're joking, right?"<br>Taking a bite of his banana, peanut butter, jam and honey sandwich, Umino shook his head. Ando leaned back in his chair, pushing the plate away from him. He was completely serious. "You all are about to fuck this up completely."

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><p>Of course, the palace had a throne room. When you are trying to channel magical energy and think <em>palace palace palace<em> instead of _huge glomp of protective crystal_, there is a bound to be a throne room. And dungeons. And spirally towers.

Basically, all the ideas the magic-wielders have about what a palace should look like and entail will come into being, the matter formed according to the mind. Mamoru remembered the old Golden Palace, Usagi thought of _Cinderella_, _Beauty and the Beast_, _The Sleeping Beauty_and the few raw images of the palace she'd seen when travelling to the future, and the result was an amalgamation of cliches, magic, and an architectural design so random that (were he a man prone to do so) would make Takeshi weep.

The natural property of the source material also figured in the design, meaning that few corners were soft and round and every once in a while, a spiral would simply soar towards the sky like an angry arrow. There was nothing to be done about it.

But one thing the palace also included was a big hall with a round table in it.  
>Ando snorted. "Okay, so who here thought about King Arthur?" Mamoru's sheepish smile was answer enough.<p>

* * *

><p>It would be the first time all of them were together. Well, almost all of them. Two chairs would remain empty: Michiru and Haruka would not appear in court until all of the shitennou were gone, banished, turned to dust.<p>

But Usagi and Mamoru were there, as were Hiromasa and Makoto, who looked uncomfortable and out of place. He had met the pair at the door, and while Makoto had given him a brief hug, Hiromasa just nodded, mumbled something that might have been "good to have you home" and then said nothing else. A less than enthusiastic welcome, Ando thought, and wondered whether he ought to be offended or worried. But then the others began to arrive, including Rei, and his attention was momentarily taken from Hiro's strange behaviour. Only after he had chatted with Usagi and Mamoru for a while did Ando look over to the pair by the door. Hiro was still clutching Makoto's hand, and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. He looked ready for a fight, Ando realised with a start.

Umino, by comparison as peaceful and docile as a lamb, had already taken a seat, and kept the one to his right free; Ami would arrive any minute now. Minako was leaning against a wall, with Rei standing next to her. Ando snuck Rei a quick glance, and she caught his eyes and smiled back. He still wasn't used to being allowed to look at her, to interact with her. It was splendid, and just a wee bit scary.

"Where's Takeshi? he asked, trying to seem efficient and organised, and less like a schoolboy with a crush.  
>Mamoru sat down and Usagi followed suit. "He'll be here any minute, he's just guiding Setsuna through one of the secret passages." Ando nodded. Secret passages. Of course. Choosing the seat on Umino's left, he sat down, only to be joined by Minako, who took the seat next to him, and Rei, who was now so tantalisingly and dangerously close. Not quite sure how to deal with her proximity, Ando began to drum his fingers on the table and his feet on the floor. An awkward silence settled over the group, and not even Usagi or Minako made any attempt to lighten the mood with the silly jokes or inane chatter Ando knew to be their trademarks.<p>

When Takeshi, Setsuna,and Ami finally arrived, Hiromasa and Makoto were still standing near the door. While Ami immediately hurried over to sit down next to Umino, clearly embarrassed by being late, Takeshi stopped by the couple. He whispered something, but over the big hoo-ha that was Usagi's greeting of Setsuna, he couldn't make out what it was. Ando noted with curiosity that he was not the only one trying to follow the exchange: Mamoru too was looking over his shoulder, trying to listen in on Hiromasa's and Takeshi's whispered conversation. When Takeshi turned to say something to Makoto, the brunette nodded, and simply walked towards the table, sliding onto a chair next to Setsuna.

Following his wife with his eyes, Hiromasa gave Takeshi a terse nod, and if he hadn't known any better, Ando would have thought that Takeshi's shoulders sagged in relief.

Finally, they were all seated round the big table. Ando wasn't surprised to see that Takeshi chose the free place to Mamoru's left. Everyone was seated and ready to go.  
>Mamoru cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming. Michiru and Haruka have declined their invitation, and as you know, Hotaru is in Sydney and will remain there until she has graduated from university."<br>"She sends her best wishes," Setsuna interspersed, and Ami and Usagi smiled. Hiromasa on the other hand looked like someone had bitten off his hand. Ando wondered (not for the first time since his return) what on earth was going on. Mamoru continued. "I know that you all need to get back to work, or to your children, so we will keep this as brief as we can." Trying to catch Hiromasa's eye, Mamoru paused. Hiromasa looked at the table, and said nothing. He was absolutely still and just like that, Ando began to worry in earnest. Something was up.  
>"Okay, well," Mamoru picked up again, visibly ruffled by his friend's stony silence. "We are here today because Ando is back, and apparently has something to say. Ando?"<p>

Well, this was awkward, Ando thought, and then dived in. This wasn't at all the return he had imagined it would be.  
>"I'll probably offend most, if not all of you, but I honestly think that things are going to go to shit if you, we, continue like this. People are terrified of the palace, of the crystals, and especially of you two," he said, and looked at Usagi and Mamoru. Usagi bit down on her bottom lip. "I just wanted to help."<br>"I know that," Ando continued, and tried to sound friendly. "We all do, but the people outside this palace don't know you. I read the papers, listened to them talking on the street, and they are scared out of their minds, from here all the way to Grenada. They think of you as an alien, a demon, or as a witch. Granted, some were also moving more along the lines of heroine and angel, but they are scared all the same. The crystal shooting out of places isn't helping either."  
>"Thanks for the summary," Mamoru said icily, and Ando made a face. "Mamoru, I am here to help, and I'm not going to be of much help if I just sit quietly and nod."<br>"He's right, you know," Makoto said. "I hear people talking about it at the café all the time, and I'm worried for you, Usa, I really am. We know how quickly fear can turn into something else."  
>"What's your suggestion, Ando?" Takeshi asked, smoothing his tie, and just like Hiromasa, looked at the table rather than his friends.<br>"If I understand it correctly, the crystal will continue to grow until all traces of negative magic are gone, right?" He turned to look at Umino and Ami, who both nodded.  
>"And there is nothing we can do about it?"<br>Folding her hands on the table, Setsuna answered. "No. The city must be purified, otherwise the danger of another volcano coming into being is too high." She was a striking woman, Ando had to give her that. He had only seen her once, at Makoto's and Hiromasa's wedding, but now she wasn't wearing a floral dress, but a grey business suit, looking for all intents and purposes like Takeshi's long lost sister. They shared the same gravitas, and Ando knew that Setsuna Meioh was not someone he would enjoy making angry. For him, that was saying something.

"If we can't do anything about the crystal covering the city, then we must do something about the way people perceive it," he said, and looked at Minako.  
>"What are you looking at me for?"<br>"Are you still running Sailor V corp?"  
>"Yes, of course I am. What do you think I do with my time, walk my dog and eat muffins all day long?" Ando grinned. "Then you'll help me."<br>"Help you with what?" Takeshi enquired, face turned to stone. Well, he had made it five minutes without pissing him off, Ando thought, and was rather impressed with himself. He was getting better at this. Meeting Takeshi's eyes full-on, he answered.  
>"Drum up positive PR. You need it. And if Minako could make people think of a vigilante in terms of a super heroine turned action figure, then I'd wager she'd be good at it. And me too, I know how to work the media. Hell, I <em>am<em> the media."  
>"I always admired your humility," Umino deadpanned, and Usagi giggled. Whether it was the philosopher's joke or the queen's good humour, the mood seemed to lighten considerably.<p>

"I did wonder whether we could find a way to channel the energy in the same way we did for the palace," Ami contributed, a faint blush rising in her cheeks. Ando leaned towards her and gave her an encouraging look. "The seal over the volcano wasn't supposed to be a building until we realised how big it would have to be, and then we focused the energy into something more concrete. What if we do the same with the crystals growing in other places?"  
>"Turn them into palaces?" Mamoru asked incredulously, and Usagi elbowed him in the side.<br>"Not into palaces, into buildings. Homes, hospitals, schools," Ami said, and Takeshi immediately shook his head. "It's too much."  
>"Too much for me?" Mamoru asked with a wry smile, and the two men looked at each other. "You would overtax yourself, and we can't have that," Takeshi finally answered, and Minako groaned. "Takeshi, you have seen what they could do with the volcano. The two of them could handle a few houses."<br>Glaring at his fiancée, Takeshi looked very out of sorts. "They had to stay in the hospital for a day."  
>"But this was a very different level of magic," Rei said, joining the conversation. "When Usagi and Mamoru sealed off the volcano, they started the process of purification for the whole city, which is why it was so tiring. The last traces of remnants of dark magic are being fought as we speak, the crystal is just a side-effect."<br>Minako put her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. "So you are saying that they've already pressed play, can press neither pause nor stop, and the whole thing won't take any additional energy from any of them anyway?"  
>Rei smiled. "Well, without the game metaphor, yes, that is was I said. I can feel the city healing and the residual darkness leaving."<br>Ando whistled. "Impressive." He looked at Rei and was best pleased to see her blush, just a little. She looked away and turned to Usagi. "What do you think?"  
>"I would like it if we could use the spreading crystal for something good."<br>"And it would be good PR," Ando added.

"Yeah, because that's what's important," Hiromasa snarled, and all eyes snapped to him. "Okay, seriously, what's the matter with you?" Ando asked, missing both Umino's warning look and Minako's hand on his sleeve.  
>"What's the matter with me? We've got two kids, and two businesses, and a home, and a dog, and a life, and we are not leaving any of that behind to move into this god forsaken palace just so that people can come after us with torches and pitchforks!"<br>Ando's jaw dropped. "When did I ever say anything about you moving anywhere?"

Mamoru jumped in, blue eyes pleading. "We would never endanger your children, Hiro, never."  
>"Yeah? Did you tell Mr. Good PR over there about the attack?"<br>"What attack?" Ando asked, but Mamoru wouldn't meet his eyes. He turned to Minako, knowing she wouldn't let him down. "What attack?"  
>She fidgeted in her seat, toyed with the hem of her dress, and finally sighed. "Two days after they sealed away the volcano, Mamoru wanted to go to work in the hospital. A man came at him with a knife."<br>"When were you going to tell me?" Ando promptly exploded, and jumped out of his chair so hard that it fell to the floor. "I told you this was not going to end well," Umino quipped at Mamoru, who looked cross. Beside him, Takeshi glared daggers at Minako. "What? He should know!" she snapped, and then suddenly, everyone was talking, and it wasn't long before the conversation descended into a full blown shouting match between Ando, Mamoru and Hiro.

"AND IF YOU THINK I AM DRAGGING MY KIDS INTO THIS-" Hiromasa roared, and Makoto winced and slid out of her chair. She walked over and pulled Usa out of hers, and hand in hand, the two women left the room, softly closing the door behind them. Neither Mamoru nor Hiromasa even noticed.  
>"THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANT! DO YOU THINK I LIKE THIS? I CAN'T EVEN GO TO WORK ANYMORE!" Mamoru hollered, colour flaring up in his cheeks.<br>"IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD ME WHAT WAS GOING ON DOWN HERE, IT MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD TO COME THIS!" Ando interfered, glaring at Mamoru. Whether it was because he was getting in Mamoru's face or because of their own complicated history, Takeshi chose this moment to join the fight. Amidst all the uproar, his icy voice commanded the attention of everyone in the room.  
>"Then perhaps you shouldn't have left for fourteen years." And with that, the architect got up and left as well, slamming the heavy door behind him.<p>

"As I said, this could not end well," Umino repeated. He got up, followed by Ami, and after a brief moment of hesitation, by Rei too, leaving Mamoru, Hiromasa, Ando, Setsuna and Minako in the room with the round table.

* * *

><p>He felt like shit.<br>His plan had been to have this meeting to make things better, and instead, he stirred up and stepped into a hornet's nest. Feeling as if the crystalline walls were closing in on him, their flashes of red making his head spin, Ando fled the palace. He wasn't even sure how he found his way out, but it wasn't long before he was standing under the blue sky and fresh air hit his lungs.

The weird thing was that the palace was situated right in the middle of the city: there was no greenery to separate the two different landscapes. It felt like stepping out of a nightmare and back into reality. Out here, it was warm and the sun was shining on his head. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his blazer, Ando squared his shoulders and marched off.

He didn't really think, just kept on walking and after a while, he found himself climbing some very familiar stairs. He had counted them, once. Back then, armed with brownies, he had hoped to make this city his home, and for his soulmate living atop these stairs to accept him. Now the city was changed forever, and he had no idea what Rei would make of his behaviour back in the round room. He was quite certain that she wouldn't be impressed with him fucking this up so swiftly.

The 48 steps used to lead to a temple. Today, they led to a ruin. Peppered with glittering rocks of every imaginable size, it was still a beautiful and serene place, but he could see why Rei had moved into the palace already. There was nothing here to keep her.

He walked over to one of the crystalline rocks and sat down. He had no idea Hiro felt this way, that he was this worried about their future. Hell, he didn't even know about the attack on Mamoru's life. Not for the first time this day, he felt anger rising in his chest. Had he known what was going on, he'd have been back a long time ago. But Takeshi was also right, he should have returned on his own accord a lot sooner. Not sure whether to be more angry with himself for leaving or with Mamoru for not calling him home, he wearily rubbed his cheek. Was it just five hours ago that he'd shaved himself, wanting to look good for Rei and respectable to Mamoru and Takeshi?

Hearing someone climb the steps, he frowned mid-motion. "Umino, fuck off, I'm not in the mood."  
>"Umino went with Ami to see how Usagi is coping," he heard a soft voice say. Turning his head so quickly his neck was in danger of snapping, he saw Rei moving towards him. She seemed completely unruffled by the events, but maybe she was just a lot better than him at hiding her emotions. He didn't know. He didn't know because he had left before he could really get to know her. She tilted her head, and gave him an inquisitive look. "May I join you?" Numbly, he nodded.<p>

She sat down on another crystal nearby, her legs elegantly crossed. It was too much and Ando reached into his breast pocket to produce a pack of cigarettes. He needed to calm his nerves, and short of running away again, this was the only way he knew how. He lit the cigarette with a snap of his fingers. There was no longer any point in not using his abilities, after all, this was partly what the whole Crystal Tokyo thing was about, wasn't it? Magic. Magic and making people sad, he thought, and took a deep drag. He watched the blue smoke curl away against the backdrop of the destroyed temple.

"It wasn't your fault," Rei said and Ando's chuckle was as bitter as the blackest of all coffees. "Nice of you to say, but it actually is."

He stared at the ruins of Rei Hino's former home, at the rotting wood, and the clean crystals that clashed with it. Of course this place would be covered with them. He remembered a ploy with a school bus, and without a doubt, he had not been the only half-crazy monster to come after the senshi here. The amounts of dark energy clinging to the temple's every wall must have been staggering. How Rei could have lived here for so long was beyond him.

"Hiromasa is an angry man, Ando. He is scared that the future he wants so badly is not for him to have. He avoids the palace as much as he can, and if he didn't have to live in it, Mamoru would do the same."

"I should have been here," he said quietly and tapped the ash off his cigarette. It fell to the ground, and Rei tutted. Ando smiled then. He remembered watching her sweep these very grounds. "Sorry," he said and looked at her. Her eyes were soft.

"Nothing would have been different had you arrived two months earlier. People would still be scared. Hiromasa would still resent the change. Mamoru would have still been attacked."

She was speaking to him like a friend, like an ally. Not knowing what to say or how to deal with her kindness, he settled on not saying anything at all. The silence between them was not unpleasant though, and as the minutes passed, Ando began to feel more like himself again. Stubbing out his cigarette, he pocketed the butt. His jacket would stink, but what did that matter anyway? She rewarded his action with another smile. Damn, she was so pretty. It made thinking around her really hard and Ando had always been a man who relied on his wits. Summoning them (an almost herculean effort), he pondered on the best course of action.

"I owe Takeshi and Mamoru an apology. I should have realised that they'd take my suggestions as criticism," he finally said and looked at her for approval.  
>She surprised him by resolutely shaking her head. "You let Minako and Usagi worry about those two," Rei answered and got up. She straightened her skirt. "Times are changing, and we all ought to make the best of that. As long as this is why you are making people upset, I do not think you have anything to apologise for."<br>Feeling thoroughly confused, for it wasn't often that he was told that he didn't have to apologise for one thing or another, he got up as well. He wanted to tell her how much her support meant to him, but something told him that she would just shrug it off. Just as she had resented his return and his every move so many years ago, she was now willing to back him up. Rei Hino's world was black and white, always had been.

"Let's return to the palace," she proposed and together, they did.

* * *

><p>** <strong>End of Chapter One<strong>**


	2. Chapter 2

**On Razor's Edge - Chapter Two**

The_ sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard._

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>When one has travelled the world for fourteen years, free as a bird, settling into other people's routine took a lot of goodwill. The problem was, Ando Tanaka didn't even have a little. "No," he said, and shook his head.<br>Minako sighed. "Come on, it won't be that bad. I promise." "I apologised, he blew me off, and now you think I'm joining you, Stick-Up-His-Rear and married Mr. Crankypants for dinner?"

As expected, this made Minako laugh. Also as expected, it didn't deter her one bit. Stubborn broad, Ando thought with affection and leaned over to ruffle her hair. She quickly moved away, her reflexes senshi-trained. "Ando, it's just a dinner. You, me, Takeshi, Makoto, Hiromasa." He shook his head again while she talked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The memory of the meeting in the round room still stung. He'd really tried to help, and despite Rei's insistence that it was unnecessary, he'd gone to Takeshi and apologised. Takeshi's acceptance of the apology had been less than cordial, and Ando found himself being kicked out of the architect's office two minutes after going in.

And now Minako had decided that the best course of action was a friendly dinner, friendly being a euphemism for three grown men sulking while staring at some meat loaf. Ando knew that the whole thing was destined to go down the drain, and he really didn't want to get into another fight in front of Makoto. Makoto was the keeper of the coffee, after all. He needed his coffee. If he pissed off her husband one more time, Hiromasa might convince his wife to spike his latte with poison. So Ando just shook his head once more for emphasis, took a deep breath, and prepared to go on the rant of a lifetime.  
>"Nothing in the world can get me to agree to coming to this dinner," he began, and Minako rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, missy, as I said, nothin-"<br>"I'll invite Rei," Minako interrupted and wiggled her eyebrows.  
>Damn, Ando thought eloquently. "What time did you say it started?"<br>"Tomorrow evening, my place, seven-thirty. Dress nice."  
>"I always dress nice," Ando muttered and decided to go buy some new clothes.<p>

* * *

><p>In the palace, Ami and Usagi were having tea in the royal couple's apartment. Most of the rooms in the palace (truth be told, nobody really knew how many rooms there even were) were still unfurnished because while Usagi and Mamoru might hold all the power of the universe in their benevolent hands, the same could not be said for money. If the hospital fired Mamoru, which seemed more likely with every passing day, seeing how he hadn't been to work since the attack a few weeks ago, they would face a very real but unroyal problem: how to pay for bread when all you had were superpowers and an empty palace.<p>

"I hate all this fighting," Usagi said, and put her mug down. It was a very un-queen-like mug. The handle was broken off, and the faded pink and purple cat motif spoke of one too many times in the dishwasher. Ami's was better though: Usagi had given her friend Mamo's favourite mug. It was white, big, and read "Genius at Work". In Ami's delicate hands, it looked humongous.

"Me too," Ami conceded, "and the worst thing is that I don't see it stopping anytime soon."  
>"Minako is trying something to sort things out between Ando, Takeshi and Hiromasa."<br>Smiling, Ami shook her head. "Fourteen years passed, and nothing between them has changed."  
>Usagi giggled. "It's all a bit silly, isn't it?"<br>Suddenly serious, Ami lowered her mug. "Not all. What we said about turning the crystals into houses..." Her voice trailed off, but her intent blue eyes were fastened on the child-like queen. There was a definite suggestion in that look.  
>Usagi blinked. "Ami, are you proposing you and I give it a try?"<br>Faint blush rising up her cheeks, Ami held her gaze. "Yes."  
>Watching the wheels in Usagi's head turn, Ami waited with bated breath. She alone couldn't modify the crystals, she needed either Usagi or Mamoru to help her. Mamoru wouldn't dare to do so until he had Takeshi's seal of approval, but Usagi had always been bolder than her innocent looks let on.<p>

"Let's do it," the future queen said and Ami breathed again.

* * *

><p>Having always found shopping for clothes tedious rather than fun, Ando decided to ask Umino to join him. Umino was, of course, in the palace, in his study, doing exactly what a philosopher was supposed to: staring at walls and thinking hard.<p>

"You are the picture of diligence," Ando commented as he walked in unannounced.  
>"Shut up," Umino responded, but there was a little colour to his cheek.<br>"Daydreaming of your frosty princess? Oh wait, I forgot: you're now living together. She's not so frosty anymore."  
>Umino gave Ando a stern look, his green eyes piercing. "Watch what you're saying."<br>"Glad to see the puppy grew some fangs. Now, wanna go shopping with me?"  
>"If I say no, will you ever leave me alone?"<br>"Not likely."  
>"Thought so."<p>

As the two men made their way out of the palace, once again using one of the more hidden exits, Ando and Umino began to talk about the weather, football (which Umino followed), American football (which Ando preferred), Ando's next book and Umino's first, Ami and her job at the hospital, Umino's grandmother (who had turned 102 last month), in short, about everything but the catastrophic meeting last night. After a while, the two friends ran out of non-magic related topics, and began to talk about the palace.

"I can't even begin to wrap my head around the layout of that thing," Ando complained.  
>Umino shrugged. "How could you? I've lived in it for two months and don't even know how many rooms there are. You've only been back two days."<br>Ando thought of his room in the tower, and Mamoru's and Usagi's in the centre, and Rei's apartment at the other side of the palace. He didn't even know where exactly Umino's and Ami's chambers where, he'd just walked there on instinct, his mind reaching out to that of his friend. It was strange, having Umino be more than a wall away, and stranger that he still felt that way after fourteen years of significant geographical distance.

"It's weird, without you, you know," Ando muttered, and looked at the sky (blue), the streets (crowded) and the shop windows (boring). Umino laughed and looked right at his friend. "We still live under the same roof."  
>"It's different. You're all..." Ando trailed off, for once not sure how to express himself. Umino, knowing his friend just as well as himself, finished the sentence for him. "Grown up."<br>"Yeah."  
>"Ando, time did not stand still even though a look in the mirror might suggest otherwise. We age, we learn, we grow."<br>"You're still puny," Ando grumbled.  
>"I was never puny. I am wiry."<br>"Whatever helps you sleep at night."  
>"Is this your way of saying you miss me?"<br>Ando shrugged and stopped in front of an electronics shop. The shop window was full of flat screen TVs, tiny phones, huge phones, laptop computers and lots of other things with flashing and blinking lights. Staring pointedly at a garishly pink mobile phone, Ando ignored Umino.  
>"Well, I missed you too, even though it was very nice to not have my clean shirts stolen all the time."<br>"Yeah, whatever," Ando responded and looked the floor, smile tugging at his lips. "You better start watching them, you know how much I dislike doing laundry."

* * *

><p>The next day, when Mamoru was trying to go back to work and everyone else was also busy, Ami and Usagi drove out to the old Hikawa Shrine in Ami's car. Usagi had taken her buns down and wore her hair loose. Ami had even gone so far as to cut it before they headed out, and it was now no longer than Makoto's. Dressed in ratty old jeans, a pink t-shirt and a denim jacket, she didn't look much like the magical creature that had sealed the volcano away, which was a good thing, considering the public distrust that was gaining ground with each passing day and every newly grown crystal.<br>Fiddling with a green scarf on her lap, Usagi watched the other cars drive by, while Ami navigated her own safely through the crowded Tokyo streets.

"You're a good driver, Ami," Usagi said, her chipper voice belying the uneasy feeling in her belly. It was easier to be brave when she was holed up in the palace, where nothing and no-one would mind that she was 'special'. Usagi herself had always seen herself as different rather than special, but when both Setsuna and Rei insisted that special was what she was, she'd shrugged, smiled, and left them to their belief. It was nice, being believed in, being trusted. She hoped she could make the citizens of Tokyo see her in the same way her friends did. Sighing, Usagi had to admit to herself that right now, she'd actually be quite content with not being seen as a danger.

"We're there," Ami announced, parking her car right in front of the steps leading to the temple. When the women had been girls, at the beginning of it all, there had been a bus stop here instead of parking spaces. But since the temple was no longer operating, and a school nearby had closed down, the bus stop had been moved further down the road.

They made their way up the stairs after Ami had carefully locked her car and retrieved a big backpack from the trunk. Usagi had no idea why Ami needed that big a backpack when she herself was perfectly equipped with a small purse, but she had long since stopped questioning Ami's logic. Actually, she'd stopped questioning Ami's reasoning about two minutes into their acquaintance.

When they climbed the last stair, and the ruinous temple came into view, Ami reached for Usagi's hand. "I know," Usagi said, and had to fight away tears. Even now, it was still hard to see this place turned to rubble. The crystals had wrecked havoc with what was left of Rei's home, and what the crystals hadn't destroyed, wind and weather did. It was no longer a place fit for habitation, which was the only reason why Rei had agreed to move into the palace with them. Before they had placed the seal over the volcano and caused the crystals to shoot up from the ground, the temple had been struggling already. After her grandfather's death, Rei had tried her best to maintain the temple in all its glory, but times were hard, and people spent their money on things other than prayers these days.

"This used to be our home," Ami said, and Usagi knew that her friend was thinking of all the afternoons they had spent here, doing homework, planning their next move against whichever darkness was on their doorstep at the time, and also, most importantly, having fun and becoming the friends they were today. Usagi knew that these were Ami's thoughts because they were her own, too.

Feeling a new resolve, she let go of Ami's hand and moved towards the ruins, henshin pen appearing in her hand out of thin air.  
>"I want to fix this," Usagi said, her voice full of quiet determination, and Sailor Moon took her place.<p>

* * *

><p>It was very unusual for Ando Tanaka to be early. He liked being late, partly because he felt that it was always good to make people wait a little, and also because his time management skills were simply not so good. If he put some effort in, he could appear on time, but that was just the thing, wasn't it? Effort. Most of the time, he simply didn't see the need for it.<p>

But tonight was different because tonight mattered. Seven-thirty, Minako had said. Ando checked his new watch (it was some sort of respectable looking thing Umino had chosen). It was six-fifteen. Six-fifteen and he was already standing on Minako's doorstep, finger hovering over the bell.

His new shirt was scratchy, the blazer felt too tight around his shoulders and the tie just wouldn't lie over the buttons the way it was supposed to. When he caught himself straightening it the way he'd seen Takeshi do it countless times, Ando practically ripped it off and stuffed it into his satchel. This whole thing was madness, sheer madness.

Ando was seriously considering turning on his heels and going for a walk for another hour when a shadow fell on the doorstep. Turning around to see who else made a fool of themselves by being ridiculously early (secretly hoping it was Rei), he came face to face with Takeshi.

"You're too early," Takeshi said, and Ando stepped aside to let the architect push the key into the lock. Well, a simple hello would have been nice too, Ando thought grimly and felt his temper rise. "I thought Minako might need a hand with the preparation," he answered, his voice silken, "and I figured you'd probably be working late."  
>Takeshi opened the door and stepped inside and for a second, Ando wondered if the architect would slam the door shut without letting him in. "I can assure that I am not in the habit of leaving Minako alone when she needs help," Takeshi responded, his voice icy.<p>

"Who needs help?"  
>Ando heard Minako approach, and the door was pulled wide open. Pressing a kiss to Takeshi's cheek, and pulling Ando into a hug, the blonde senshi grinned. "My two favourite men! Does this mean the two of you will do the ghastly cooking and I get to curl my hair?"<p>

Ando laughed and lifted his hands in a defense. "Since when do I know how to cook?"  
>Shrugging out of his trench, and placing it on the clothes tree by the door, Takeshi moved further into the house, not sparing Ando another glance. Soon, the sound of paws on hardwood floors was heard. "He's gone to say hi to Attila, he'll be a while," Minako supplied, and motioned to Ando to follow her into the kitchen. Feeling a bit like an obedient dog himself, he trailed after her. Minako had not yet donned her evening outfit, unless she planned on being a gracious hostess in faded black leggings and an old shirt of Takeshi's.<p>

"The meat loaf is already in the oven, but you can peel the potatoes. You tie is sticking out of your manpurse by the way."  
>Blushing, Ando shoved the tie deeper into his satchel. "Shut up. Did Makoto bring the meat loaf over earlier?"<br>Minako glared at Ando. "Don't you think that I learned to cook at some point in the last fourteen years?"  
>"Honestly, no. You love take-out."<br>"Well, you're wrong. My meat loaf is delicious and I am an excellent cook."  
>Ando cocked a brow. "Excellent?"<br>"Good enough," Minako conceded, and hit him with a spoon. "Now peel the potatoes and I'll let you wax poetic about Rei's hair."

"Is this a triple date then?" Ando wondered aloud while placing the plates on the table a while later.  
>Minako laughed and re-arranged the vanilla-scented tealights into a swirly pattern. "In a way, yes." Ando decided not to tell Minako that they'd have to take half the candles away again once they put the actual food on the table: she was enjoying the decorating way too much to spoil it for her.<br>Just then Takeshi came round the corner, carrying a tray with 12 high-stemmed and perfectly polished glasses, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to below his elbows. His face was drawn, as it had been ever since Ando got here. Clearly, Ando thought, the stupid prick had no reservations about spoiling the evening and Mina's good mood.  
>"I was under the impression that this evening was about reconciling Ando with Hiromasa and not furthering his relationship to Rei." Yup, no reservations at all.<p>

Ando opened his mouth to tell Takeshi to shove the glasses up his happy place, but a long hard look from Minako silenced him. When she turned to Takeshi, a smile equally fake and bright settled on her features. Ando thought she looked quite deranged, and more than a little scary, but at least her wrath was not directed at him.

"Takeshi, can you come upstairs with me and help me pick out what to wear?" she sing-songed at her fiance, fooling no-one. Takeshi frowned and put the tray down. Despite his careful movement, the glasses shook, causing them to jingle. "Don't get any stains on the glasses," he told Ando, and the younger man had to fight back the urge to stick out his tongue. Instead, he saluted Takeshi, holding the pose until the two had disappeared up the stairs.

Once they were out of sight, Ando reached for the glasses, and began to blithely emulate Minako's swirly pattern from the candles with his thumbprints.

* * *

><p>Standing in the over-flowing walk-in closet, Minako unbuttoned the shirt and tossed it on the floor. Takeshi was leaning against the door, arms crossed.<br>"I wish you would stop mollycoddling him."  
>Minako groaned and shimmied out of her leggings. "And I wish you would stop being so rude, but hey, you don't see me nagging you about it, do you?"<br>Bending down, Takeshi swiped the discarded clothes from the floor and put them in the laundry hamper.  
>"Actually, you do. It's why I consented to this dinner in the first place."<br>"Well, he apologised to you, and you didn't accept it."  
>"I don't see why I have to accept his inteference in our lives after he has been touring the world for fourteen years. He had no right to question how we dealt with this."<br>Minako turned around, a clothes hanger in each hand. One was demure, the other was... not. "Which one?"  
>Takeshi pointed to the dress on the right hanger, a beige A-line dress with a matching cardigan. Minako scrunched up her face. "My mother gave me that." Turning around again, she put the offending dress back on the clothes rail. Half of the clothes rail was a chaotic mess of colours, patterns, and dresses slipping of their hangers, while the other half was a pristine, perfectly ironed, dry-cleaned, colour-coded (the colours being white, beige, grey, black and blue) array of men's wear. When they first moved in together, Takeshi had tried to make Minako tidier, but he wasn't a man to fight lost battles, and over the years, the two of them had found some middle-ground. At least as far as wardrobe tidiness was concerned; the palace and Ando were a different matter.<p>

"If you think that one dinner is going to make Hiromasa more inclined to give up his and his family's life and move into the palace, then you are sorely mistaken."  
>Pulling the clothes hanger out of the green mini dress, she tossed the empty hanger in the closet's corner and faced her fiance.<br>"I think you actually meant to say that one dinner is not going to make you more inclined to give up your life and move into the palace." Minako slipped into the dress and then presented her back to Takeshi. "Zip me up, please."  
>"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have Ando do it? He's already been kind enough to point out that he is quite happy to help you when I am unable to do so."<br>Shaking her head, Minako sighed. "You two are such children. Now zip me up, or I'm going to spend the dinner in bra and knickers."

Takeshi pushed Minako's long hair over her shoulder and complied, slowly pulling the zipper up. She felt the his fingers like ghosts, so close to her skin, but never touching it. Sighing, she leaned backwards. If the world could have more moments like this... Behind her, Takeshi closed his eyes and pressed a silent kiss on her neck before leaving their bedroom without another word. She could hear his steps on the stairs, slow and determined.

Slipping into matching green ballet flats, she got ready to return to the battleground that was her dining room.

* * *

><p>Dinner did not go well.<br>In fact, dinner did not go well at all.

Rei arrived at five to seven, slender and groomed and pretty, bearing a bottle of wine for Takeshi, and flowers for Minako.  
>While Minako hurried into the kitchen to find a vase, Takeshi beat Ando to taking Rei's coat. Undoubtedly, it was revenge for the fingerprints, which Takeshi's eagle eye had spotted upon first glance.<p>

Once Minako returned with a vase and Rei helped her friend place the pink carnations in it, they all went to the living room and sat down on the couch. Ando snagged the place beside Rei, ready to be complimented on his nice new attire, but if Rei noticed it, she did not show it. Should have worn the bloody tie, Ando thought, and wondered if somehow, he could blame Umino for all of this.

"Where's Attila?" Rei asked and looked around for the old Great Dane.  
>"He's getting old, the poor dear," Minako added, oblivious to Ando's plight. "He sleeps the day away, and he doesn't even really like to go for walks anymore."<br>"How old is he now?" Ando asked, earning himself another glare from Takeshi. "Fifteen", the architect answered curtly. "We got him a year before you took your great leave. Simple math, Ando."  
>Overriding Ando's answer by placing a hand on his knee, Rei smiled as if nothing was wrong. "I still remember how Minako tried to foist him off on me. He was so little then."<br>"And you so didn't want to have him," Minako added cheerfully. "But neither did you, did you?" she asked Takeshi, who made a sort of grumbly noise and looked like someone had forced him to eat five lemons. "But it all turned out well, and now you are happy that you have him in your life, even though he is a bit annoying at times and makes spots on glasses."  
>Ando rolled his eyes. "So now I'm the dog? Great."<br>"Shut up," Mina hissed, "I'm trying to help you out here."  
>"Clumsily," Rei said, withdrew her hand from Ando's knee and got up. "Hiromasa and Makoto are here."<br>Ando raised his eyebrows while internally mourning the sudden absence of physical contact. "You sure? I didn't hear the door bell."  
>"She doesn't need a bell to tell her when another senshi is near, you idiot," Minako said and got up, hurrying to the door seconds before the sound of the bell rang through the house.<p>

To Ando's great disappointment, Minako had actually worked out a seating plan, something he found completely ridiculous given that a) they were only six people in total and b) it meant he didn't get to sit next to or opposite of Rei. It also meant there would be no more hands on knees or arms brushing against each other or even easy contact with the object of his affection.

Instead, Minako had placed him at the head of the table, opposite Hiromasa, with Takeshi on his right and herself on his left. Rei and Makoto were flanking Hiro, who had tied his hair back as a concession to Takeshi, and also buttoned up his shirt. Clearly, he didn't like either and had grown a beard as his last remaining form of protest against the establishment (the establishment being his wife).

"So who's on babysitting duty?" Minako asked and accepted the bowl of mashed potatoes from Rei, "Ami or Usagi?"  
>Hiromasa snorted and reached for the peas. "As if I'd let my kids into the palace."<br>Annoyed, Minako dumped the mashed potatoes on her plate with more force than necessary. Bits of it flew off her plate and stuck to the wineglass in front of her. "Well, Ami could also come to your house. So could Usa."  
>"Hiro's parents have come over for the evening," Makoto hastily added, and kicked her husband against his legs under the table."Ow! What was that for?" Hiromasa asked, his brown eyes suddenly no longer hostile, but instead wide and guileless.<br>Makoto shook her head. "Don't play innocent, and watch how much meat you eat. You know you have to watch your cholesterol." Ando's eyes bulged. "Cholesterol? What are you, 67? Getting ready for your pension?"  
>Hiromasa made a rude noise, Makoto shook her head at Ando, and Minako was still fuming and hacking into her mashed potatoes as if they were a blob-shaped youma.<p>

As the evening progressed, Rei and Takeshi struck up a polite conversation about something Ando found completely and totally irrelevant and Minako gave Hiromasa the cold shoulder and talked to his wife instead. This left Ando and Hiromasa without anyone to talk to but each other.

With both seated at the respective heads of the table, and with both being equally ignored by everyone else, their natural chattiness soon came to dominate Hiro's sullenness and Ando's resentment.

"How's Spock?" Ando finally asked, and Hiro's big face lit up. "Aw, he's good. Gotten a bit fat, to be honest, but you know, at his age, he's allowed to have a little meat on his bones. Not like other old dogs, who are punished with diets and stuff, you know?"  
>This caused Takeshi to drop the ball on his conversation with Rei. "Excuse me, but would those 'other' dogs you are referring to by any chance include mine?"<br>Hiro guffawed. "Of course. Give the old boy some biscuits every once in a while."  
>Minako buried her head in her hands, and consequently, some of her hair in the gravy on the plate. "Oh, please, not again."<p>

The next fifteen minutes were dominated by a discussion about proper doggie nutrition and the relative merits of exercise for old dogs. Risks of heart attacks versus risk of fatty degeneration of the heart, which was more dangerous and whose dog was healthier? Grinning, Ando put his elbow on the table and leaned his head onto his propped up hand. "It's a pissing contest about whose dog loves whom better," he said in a low voice, clearly in awe. "Mi, this dinner was as a fantastic idea."

Abandoning all notions of etiquette, Minako lifted her head from her hands and used them to flip Ando off instead.

* * *

><p>By the time they got to the dessert (strawberry, walnut and chocolate ice cream with plenty of whipped cream, a few gummibears and big heaps of chocolate sauce), things at the table were almost back to normal, or at least as normal as things between all of them had ever been. Ando had taken Hiromasa's side in the Great Doggie Discussion of Crystal Tokyo, while Makoto had staunchly supported Takeshi. Rei and Minako had remained silent, but Ando was quite sure that Rei was actually a little amused, and also very much on Takeshi's side. Minako on the other hand just looked pissed off, having witnessed this discussion one too many times.<p>

Being the only smoker at the table, Ando now found himself exiled to the backyard while the hosts and their guests sat inside, where it was warm and smoke-free.

Taking a deep drag, he closed his eyes. The evening had started out horribly, with Takeshi only glaring and snapping at him, himself always, always rising to the bait by stooping really low, and with Hiromasa ignoring him completely. Only by bringing the dog up had the tide of the conversation changed, and become more friendly and more inclusive.

Of course, Ando still felt like the odd one out. Minako tried her best, and Rei's smiles were worth a million, but he had been away fourteen years, which meant that he had missed fourteen years of shared experiences and bonding. Fourteen years of birthdays, Christmases, afternoon outings. Fourteen years of bonding. There were so many things that were mentioned in passing that he had no idea about, let alone the big things, such as the birth of Makoto's and Hiromasa's baby boy. Little Kiyoshi, almost one year old. Ando hadn't even seen him yet.

Making plans to ask Hiro and Makoto whether he could stop by sometime soon to say hi to the baby, he finished his cigarette with one last deep drag.  
>Inside, the phone rang, something Ando couldn't hear, but could see when Takeshi got up from the dinner table and answered it.<p>

And then, from his place behind the glass, Ando saw how all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>Takeshi parked his car behind the silver Prius they all knew to be Ami's. The streetlights flickered to life just as Minako slammed the passenger shut. Takeshi just left his open, not sparing his car another glance, his eyes already focused on the many steps before them. By the time Hiro's minivan turned round the corner and onto the street, Minako and Takeshi were already racing up the stairs, Ando and Rei at their heels.<p>

Ando had never seen Takeshi like this: sure, the architect was often terse, seldom chatty, but ever since the phone call, well... the only thing Ando could compare it to was that mountain in Switzerland seconds before the avalanche. He'd been drinking hot cocoa in a small café at the foot of the mountain, watching the sky lifts move up and down, colourful little dots on a snowy canvas. It was one of those many perfect moments he'd experienced in his travels, but then, even though it all looked the same, a sense of foreboding snuck up on Ando, and it was almost as if he'd felt the mountain quiver, a tiny threatening movement seconds before it all went to shit.  
>Two people had died in the avalance, or rather, had been lost in the snow. Ando had lost his liking for hot cocoa ever since.<p>

Hurrying after Minako and Takeshi, his mind went back to the moment he saw Takeshi answering the telephone, the way his hands clenched and unclenched before turning to Minako. Ando hadn't been able to hear what Takeshi said, but he saw the plate slide out from Minako's hands just as her blue eyes turned wide. Dropping his cigarette, he'd stubbed it out with his uncomfortable new shoes and slid the terrace door open. By then, Takeshi had already barked something at Hiromasa, Makoto blew out the candles, and Minako and Rei raced to the door.

The sense of urgency hadn't let up since. Takeshi had run two red lights on their way here, his BMW overtaking the other cars on the street with ease. Neither Rei nor Minako had been inclined to speak during the drive to the temple, so Ando had no idea what to expect. Back in the Silver Millennium, he had been a mind-reader, more talented than anyone else. Anyone but Mars, that was. But nowadays, this particular gift was one he'd rather not use, especially not on friends.

So he ran up the stairs, which once more seemed to go on forever, clueless and fearful as to what to expect.

* * *

><p>The picture that presented itself to them at the top of the stairs was an idyllic one. A small campfire, two young woman sitting and laughing in front of it, the stars twinkling above them, and all of that against the backdrop of an elaborate temple framed by trees and stones.<p>

Very much like the plate from Minako's hands earlier that evening, Ando's jaw dropped. Gone were the ruins he had fled to just two days ago. The temple looked exactly like it had before he had set out on his big journey, the exact same structure, the same height, width, everything. Everything, if one ignored the fact that the building used to be made from wood and stone, and now presented itself in the shimmering crystal that spoke of Usagi's magic.

The culprit giggled. "You should see your faces! You look so silly."  
>Takeshi hurried to Usagi, reaching her in a few long strides, kneeling before her and taking her smaller hands in his with infinite care. "Is Mamoru here? Are you okay? Is he okay?" The edge of panic in his voice was unmistakable. Ami jumped up, cheeks painted red by the fire, and frantically waved her hands. She was holding her small blue mercury computer, which gave off a few beeps, and was smiling more widely than Ando had ever seen, looking happy and elated. "Everyone is okay, Takeshi, no need to to worry. Usagi is fine, she didn't even have an elevated pulse when she transformed the crystal. I checked, I took notes, they are right here-"<br>Standing behind Takeshi, Ando couldn't see the architect's face as he got up, but Ami's reaction spoke volumes: she lowered her hands, took a step back and turned to Usagi, who was busy brushing some crumbs off her jeans, not noticing how Takeshi towered over Ami with his hands clenched into fists.

Not wanting to have to explain to Umino why he stood idly by while Takeshi was gearing up to tear sweet little Ami Mizuno a new one, Ando stepped forward and placed a hand on Takehsi's arm, gently pulling him back. "Listen, Takeshi, she's already eating again, she's fine. You're fine, Usa, aren't you?" Ando asked pointedly, and Usagi looked up, nodded and grinned.  
>"All fine. Hey, anyone want a sandwich? I ate all the ones with jam, but we have some with cheese left, don't we, Ami?" For once, the right answer wouldn't come to Ami as she withered under Takeshi's angry glare. Feeling like the only adult in a kindergarten full of children with severe emotional issues, Ando turned to Rei for help, but she was staring at the temple with unblinking eyes. His voice went soft. "Rei? What do you think of it?"<p>

"It's...," Rei started, and broke off. Ando could feel everyone hold their breath. Makoto and Hiromasa had finally made their way up the stairs as well (their minivan being no match for Takeshi's BMW), and had come to stand beside Rei.

"You did well," Rei finally said, and gave her friends a small smile. This, apparently, was enough for Usagi, who squeed and bounded over, slamming into Rei, and gave the raven-haired beauty a hug so strong that it would have knocked the wind out of a giant. Watching the two women embrace, Ando noted how Rei patted Usagi's back rather than stroked it, how she left her eyes open instead of closing them, and how she did not look at the temple again.

Minako cleared her throat. "Well, that's all fine and dandy. Now, Usa, do you want Takeshi and me to tell Mamoru or do you want to it yourself?" Takeshi turned around and looked at his fiancée with disbelief. "Is that your reaction to this?"  
>Minako shrugged. "She eats, she squees, she's fine. Trust me, I know."<br>Changing tactics, Takeshi addressed Hiromasa. "Can you take Minako home? I will escort Usagi back to the palace, and Ami can take Ando and Rei in her car. Come on, let's go."  
>Minako snorted. "As if."<br>"Excuse me?"  
>"As if I would want to go home now. I'm coming to the palace with you."<br>"Minako-"

Rei cut across Takeshi, her voice cool. "I will be staying here for a while, and would appreciate it if Ami and Ando would keep me company. Mako, I know your children are waiting for you-"  
>Makoto shook her head resolutely. "I'm staying here with you. Hiro, love, could you go home and absolve your parents of babysitting duty? I'm sure Aiko will have done their heads in by now."<br>"How are you getting home?" Hiro asked, but Ando noticed that he did not offer to stay as well.

"I'll drive," Ami volunteered, and Usagi promptly pulled a face. "Why can't I stay? We should call Mamoru and Umino and then all of us can have a midnight picnic here. It'll be like old times!"  
>"No," Takeshi said, and there was no mistaking the resolve in his voice. "You, Minako and I will go to the palace." Usagi looked at Mina with big pleading eyes, but Minako shook her head. "You have to go tell Mamoru, Usa. He'll be proud, I'm sure."<br>"Worried is what he should be," Takeshi snapped, but Minako ignored him and beckoned for Usagi to follow her down the stairs.

Still visibly unhappy with having to leave, Usagi blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Mamoru doesn't have to worry about me when I have Ami watching over me. She's a brilliant doctor, and we knew what we were doing." Moving away from Rei, Usagi walked over to the campfire again, snatched up another wrapped sandwich before making for the stairs with Minako.

Ando whistled. "I think she just told you to fuck off."  
>Shooting one last glare in Ami's direction, Takeshi followed Usagi and Minako, his face as dark and angry as clouds in a thunderstorm.<p>

*** _End of Chapter Two _***


	3. Chapter 3

**On Razor's Edge - Chapter Three**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard._

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>There were few relationships in his life that Takeshi never really had to worry about. His relationship to Minako was of course not one of those. Neither was the one between him and his prince because that one was coined just as much by worry as it was by affection and devotion. No, if he thought about it, considered the matter from all angles, took all factors into account, then it boiled down to one person, and one person only, who never gave him cause for concern.<p>

Over the years, Umino had proven himself to be a reliable, reasonable and kind man, one Takeshi valued above many others. His trust in Umino was absolute. Unfortunately, he could not say the same about Umino's partner. He had always thought of Ami as just as level-headed as Umino, but clearly, he had been wrong. The escapade at the temple had proven that.

What confounded him was that he seemed to be the only one to see that. Minako had just brushed his worries aside, and shockingly, so had Mamoru, who seemed to be more concerned with Usagi's new haircut and his day at the hospital.

Normally, he would talk it through with either Hiromasa or Umino, but the former had just returned to his children, and instinct told Takeshi that this matter might not be one that should be broached with Umino. It was not a good step, it was not logical.

But something had to be done, and someone had to understand, so once he and Minako returned from dropping off Usagi at the palace, he carefully shut and locked the door of his study, reached for his sleek, black mobile and dialled the familiar number of Setsuna Meioh.

* * *

><p>At the other side of town, the evening was far from over.<br>Huddled around a campfire, Makoto, Ami, Ando and Rei were staring at the silver structure of the newly resurrected temple.  
>"Takeshi was mad," Ami finally said, her soft voice hesitant and asking for a confirmation she didn't really need. Takeshi's anger had been palpable, crackling in the air like electricity.<br>Makoto reached over and patted Ami's hand. "He was just worried, hun. You know how he is."  
>Ando, who also knew how Takeshi was, wisely opted to remain silent on the matter. It wouldn't do to discuss it here, he'd talk to Takeshi himself. It seemed that talking was all he ever did these days anyway.<p>

Rei also didn't pitch in her two cents, but her silence was one that did not seem to worry the other two girls. Of course Ando realised that they knew her longer and better than he did, that they were probably more than able to assess the situation correctly and take action accordingly. Were Rei in need of consoling, then surely, Makoto and Ami would take care of that. But as he watched the two women talk about Takeshi and Usagi and sandwiches and pulse rates, he wondered if maybe, he'd just seen something more than them.

His mind flashed back to the morning so many years ago, when he'd read his paper on the steps behind them, watched her sweep the grounds with grace and vengeance. The sun had been shining then, making the woods around them seem all the more lively. The temple wasn't much, architecturally speaking, but Ando was not an architect. Over the years, he had seen many places of worship, and before it was turned to crystal, Rei's temple was just as spiritual as any of those grand places he'd visited. But it was the heart that mattered in the end, and now, standing solid and silver in the moonlight, the warmth of the fire never really touching the smooth surface, the temple was empty. It was soulless, and Rei must have felt it too. There was no going back to the past, no forcing the hands of time. He wished Usagi and Ami would have realised that.

So he sidled up closer to Rei, pressing his outstretched legs against hers. She was wearing a dress and nylons, and he was wearing jeans, but even so, with two layers of fabric separating their skin, the contact sent his heartbeat into a mild frenzy. She didn't lift her eyes to look at him, but she also didn't pull away when he reached for her hand, holding it still and steady, unnoticed by anyone else. It was soft and cold and very thin and curled against his own, holding on tightly. Unlike Minako, Rei didn't wear any nail polish. She also didn't wear any jewellery. Ando noticed these kind of things. Ando noticed everything there was to notice when it came to Rei Hino because he had made it his business to.

So the evening turned to night, and he held her hand until all the wood turned to ashes.

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next week, many things happened. Takeshi took to working even longer hours than usual, and also to driving Mamoru to and from work. Usagi and Ami poured over the most recent satellite pictures of Tokyo to choose the next building they wanted to fix. Nobody quite knew what Minako was doing, but that was the norm rather than the exception. Always busy with their children, dogs, and business, Makoto and Hiromasa did their own thing, but made a point of inviting Minako and Takeshi to come to their customary weekly dinner. Takeshi politely declined, but neglected to ask Minako about her opinion on the matter. This, naturally, was something Minako did not take kindly to.<p>

So on Thursday at seven, clutching a bottle of wine and looking slightly unhinged, Minako appeared at Makoto's and Hiromasa's house, ringing the bell twice in short succession.

Hiromasa opened the door. Light streamed out behind him, and Minako wondered when it had started to get dark so early. Only seven o'clock and night was falling fast.

Hiromasa scratched his head. "Umm, hi?"  
>"Hi-I-know-Takeshi-said-we-wouldn't-come-but-he-didn't-ask-me-and-I-wanted-to-come-so-here -I-am-so-what's-for-dinner?" She rattled if off without a single pause, going a million miles an hour and ignoring the existence of any and all punctuation marks.<br>Hiromasa blinked and leaned himself against the half-opened door, arms casually crossed. There was something pink and glittery in his beard and all over his red plaid shirt. He made a face. "Mako's still at work and I already had dinner with Aiko an hour ago. I'm just getting her ready for bed."  
>Minako faltered a bit. "Oh."<br>Hiro looked at her, slim fingers gripping the wine bottle like a lifeline, and sighed. After having known her and Takeshi for such a long time, he knew how to spot the signs of trouble. And it was kind of hard not to feel sorry for her, standing her in a fancy blouse and heels and with that dusty wine bottle in hand. He wondered if Takeshi even knew that Minako had been in his wine cellar. She shuffled her feet, and he made a decision, one that he hoped his wife would be proud of. "But you know, I can make you a sandwich, and you can try to get my daughter into the bath tub." He stepped aside to let her enter.

Smiling, Minako wasted no time to shove the wine bottle into his hands and hollered up the stairs. "All dirty little girls come to Auntie Miiiiiinaaaaaa!" From the top of the stairs, a child's giggle could be heard and Hiromasa shook his head, grinning. Good thing Makoto had taken baby Yoshi to work with her, otherwise his wife's exuberant friend would have surely woken the littlest one up again and he would have had to throttle Mina after all.

* * *

><p>The problem with little Aiko Obuchi was not that she didn't like baths, oh no, she liked baths all right, she <em>loved <em>baths. What she didn't like was being told that she wasn't allowed to empty the whole bottle of pink glitter shower gel into the tub.

Well, that explained Hiromasa's unusal get-up, Minako thought dryly as she watched little Aiko play with her mermaid Barbie. There were plenty of other bath toys floating around on the warm water, but all were ignored in favour of Mermaid Barbie. Mermaid Barbie had one of those tails that changed colour in hot water, and was actually pretty cool.  
>"Hey Aiko, what colour is Barbie's tail when you dip it in cold water?"<br>Pausing her game, Aiko gave Minako a look that would have done her father proud. "She's called Amy, like Aunt Ami, and she doesn't like cold water. Nobody likes cold water," Aiko said as threateningly as a four year-old girl could. "Where's Uncle Takeshi? Will he come read me a story?"  
>Uh-huh, Minako thought eloquently. While she loved Aiko, there was no doubt that in Aiko's list of all time favourite grown ups, she was labouring somewhere far below her parents (which made sense), Takeshi (which made no sense at all), and of course, Ami. Because Ami had given Aiko a mermaid Barbie recently and Minako hadn't, and sometimes things really were that simple, at least when you were under five.<p>

"Takeshi has to work tonight, honey," she said, knowing full well that whatever Takeshi was doing holed up in his study, it wasn't work. He hadn't touched a single of his sketches in weeks, but there were maps of the palace that he kept starting and throwing away. No, most likely he was brooding over the end of the world and moping at the dog that his fiancée didn't understand him. To be fair, Takeshi didn't really mope, he was too sophisticated for that. Now, what was the fancy word for moping? Ah yes, lament. He was probably lamenting his harsh fate, completely ignoring what she'd been trying to tell him all week: that things weren't half as bad as he made them out to be.

"If Uncle Takeshi isn't here, then I want Daddy to read my story. Not you."  
>Oh heavens, rejected by a four year-old. Minako forced a bright smile on her face, not ready to admit defeat yet. If she couldn't get Aiko to love her like she did her Uncle Takeshi, then she could at least get her clean. "Okay, Daddy will do the reading, but first we have to wash your hair." Aiko nodded and pushed her little body under water, making a few loud and wet splashes with her little feet, kicking water against the wall. Some of it swapped over the rim of the tub and landed right on Minako's bare feet. When the little girl resurfaced, pink glitter was dotting her face like a thousand freckles. Maybe that was why the bottle read shower gel and not bath foam, Minako realised belatedly.<p>

The shampoo, which also came in a pink bottle, but luckily without glitter, was taken out of her hands before Minako had quite caught on, and instead of emptying the bottle over her brown curls, Aiko squirted a generous amount on Minako's flower print silk blouse. The little devil giggled and Minako gaped at her. "That wasn't very nice," she finally stammered, and resolved to ask Takeshi (if a) she could swallow her pride and b) get him out of his study long enough) how he made Aiko listen to him.

When Aiko climbed out the tub and raced out the bathroom despite Mina's protestations, her little body pink and glittery, cackling like a lunatic, Minako sighed, gripped the warmed towel from the heating rack and hurried after her.

That sandwich Hiro was making better include some fried bacon and a generous amount of cheese, or she would buy Aiko a crate of glitter shampoo for Christmas and another one for her birthday.

* * *

><p>"Enough," Umino said softly, and pried the maps and pictures out of his girlfriend's hands. Ami yawned. "Is it night already?"<br>Putting everything in a big manila envelope, Umino shook his head. "It's barely past seven. You dozed off ten minutes ago."  
>"Oh," Ami said, and pushed her chair back. She was sitting in the small study between their living room and their bedroom, where books and documents were threatening to spill over shelves and out of drawers for the simple reason that no amount of order could contain that much paper in any room smaller than a lecture hall.<p>

"Don't put it away, I want to show it to Usagi later on."  
>Shaking his head, Umino handed the envelope back to Ami, who stored in a bag by her feet. He looked at his girlfriend, this brilliant and kind woman, who had no idea when enough was enough.<br>"Ami, go to bed. You had a night shift yesterday and only got back an hour ago."  
>"But this is important."<br>"So is your sleep."  
>She wrinkled her little nose. "But-"<br>"No buts. Just listen to me. I'm going to wake you at six tomorrow morning and then you can get some work in before you go to the hospital."  
>"You're not awake at six," she answered and reached out for him. Obediently, he took her hand and pulled her up. Never letting go, Ami just leaned against him, breathing in his scent, and soaking up his warmth. He smelled of home and books and sandalwood. "I could set an alarm," Umino mumbled into her hair.<br>"I know, but I want to talk to Usa and Mamoru tonight, and then Mamoru can talk to Takeshi tomorrow. I want him to be okay with this." Since the temple, her voice was smaller whenever she mentioned the architect and it made Umino both angry and sad at the same time.

Ami was not a woman who dealt well with fights and arguments among friends, and even less well with getting things wrong. By insinuating that she had risked Usagi's well-being, Takeshi had done a lot more harm than he probably knew. Ami had worried ever since, checking on Usagi at least twice a day, going over her notes to make sure that she hadn't missed anything, and even going so far as to beg Setsuna to tell her whether at some point in the future, ramifications of the crystal adaption process would cause the royal couple any problems medically speaking. Of course, Setsuna hadn't told her a thing.

Umino had never quite figured out whether Setsuna even knew those kind of things, or whether her knowledge was rooted in her future self in a future time. He had even made charts, timelines, but it hadn't really helped.

And of course, there was always the danger of the future changing just in the moment you talked about it. From a philosophical point of view, the topic was riveting and he would love to pick Setsuna's brains on it. But as the boyfriend of a very overworked woman, Umino wasn't so keen on an academic discussion and more interested in Setsuna easing Ami's worry.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he whispered insistently, and yawning, Ami did.

* * *

><p>The sandwich was good. Not as good as one of Makoto's, but it was a good sandwich. One that she had earned. Cheese and ham and lettuce and tomatoes and something with a ton of garlic. Minako was taking a big bite just as Hiro descended the stairs, shrugging on an unglittery, fresh plaid shirt. It was green.<br>"Do you own even a single shirt without a plaid pattern?"  
>Hiro laughed. "Yeah, the one I wore at my wedding, and the one Makoto made me get for the christening." He sat down on the couch next to her, stretching out his legs. "Where's the dog?"<br>Minako craned her head in the direction of the plushy armchair. "Under there. Surprised he still fits." "He's not that fat," Hiro said, but his amused tone betrayed him. "So, where's Takeshi tonight?"

Minako put her sandwich back on the plate. Nothing could make her loose her appetite as quickly as thinking of her unhappy fiancé. "Working."  
>He reached for the wine bottle that he'd put on the coffee table earlier. It was a French wine, and years of friendship with Takeshi had taught him that it was best served with venison. It had also taught him that this wasn't the kind of wine you brought to a casual dinner among friends. It was more the kind of wine you saved up for an occasion.<br>"Working is the company line and I am not my daughter, Minako. I also don't believe in Santa anymore."  
>"But you like pink glitter nearly as much as she does. It looks good on both of you, must be hereditary."<br>"Where's Takeshi?" he repeated stubbornly and snapped his fingers at the floor. The armchair moved a bit, and Spock emerged from underneath. He trotted over to Hiro, who then bent down and picked him up. He really was getting more than a little chubby in age. Minako smiled. Takeshi would gently mock Hiro now, ask him if he could even still lift the dog properly. Minako bit on her bottom lip and waited for Spock to drape himself half on the couch and half over Hiro. When the dog was comfortable, she reached over and ruffled the soft fur behind his long ears. She wondered if Takeshi at least had Attila in the study with him. That would make things somewhat better.

Fighting the lump in her throat, she kept on petting the dog, the rhythmical movement soothing her. When she was sure her voice would be steady, she lifted her eyes to meet Hiro's. "An hour ago, he was in his study, staring at the wall."  
>Hiro leaned himself back against the couch, one arm thrown over the backrest, the other on his dog. "Shouldn't you be in there with him then?"<br>"He doesn't want me there because he thinks I'm not taking his worries seriously." Saying it out loud made her feel like a complete and utter failure, even more so because Takeshi had literally taken to locking himself into his study. Every night, he would close the door behind him, and she could hear the key turn in the lock, shutting her out.

Hiro shrugged. He remembered Minako's reaction to the volcano. She had been calm then, and calm even when the city began to turn against Usagi and Mamoru. At the temple? Calm. In the round room? Calm. "You don't see it, you know?" She looked at him with wide, clueless eyes. Hiro shook his head. "He does, and I do, and Makoto does too, but you don't. You really don't."  
>She stopped petting Spock, who made a whiny noise, but was for once ignored. "What is it that I don't see?" There was something in her eyes that told him that she really didn't get it. He wished Makoto was here to explain it to her. "Minako, everything is changing. Everything. And what you and Ando and Ami are after, that might make Crystal Tokyo better, but it's gonna cost us."<br>She tilted her head to the side. "Cost us how?"  
>Sometimes talking to Minako was like talking to a child. So like he would do for his daughter, he broke it down into parts. "What do you think will happen once people notice that we don't age?"<br>"Nobody noticed so far." Her answer came quickly and she looked cocky and content with herself.  
>"Yeah, but they will. It's only a question of time. So, what do you think will happen? Seriously, think about it."<br>And she did, for longer than he expected. At some point, she got up and made them some tea and returned with two mugs a while later. It was a bit rude, but he knew that Makoto always encouraged her friends to feel at home in their house, so Hiromasa wasn't going to make Minako feel like guest by telling her to stay out of his kitchen.

"They'd know us to be different. They'd fear us." Her answer was very matter-of-fact, but he could tell by the way that she clutched her mug that the thought didn't sit well with her. He finished the thought for her.  
>"When people will finally realise, we will all have to move into the palace. And that's it. No more normal jobs, no more normal homes, no more normal anything. And that's the best case scenario. And Takeshi of course doesn't think of that: he thinks of the worst, and you don't."<p>

Instead of going into what the worst case scenario might be, Minako changed the topic, just a bit. She didn't really care about scenarios of any kind, she cared about people and how they dealt with whatever was going on. "Ando and Ami want to make things better, not worse, you know that, right?"  
>He rolled his eyes. "Who knows what Ando wants. For all I know, he wants to get into Rei's pants and that's why he does what he does."<br>Minako put her mug down. There was something icy in the way she looked at him then. "That was a nasty thing to say."  
>Never having been a person to back down easily, Hiro put his own mug on the coffee table, next to a set of his daughter's crayons and the wine bottle. "Does that make it any less true?"<br>"You don't give him enough credit."  
>"That's not it. I just don't know him very well. Most of us don't." While Minako had flown out to see Ando many times over the years, the same wasn't true for the rest of them. Hiro had only seen Ando once in fourteen years, and that was when Ando had come over for Umino's twenty-ninth birthday. How well could you know someone you saw so little of?<p>

"But you do know Ami."  
>That gave him pause. Ami was a sweet thing, always kind, and a good godmother to Aiko. No, he would never say a bad word about Ami Mizuno.<br>"She's a good woman. Very clever. For the record, I don't think Usagi was in danger when they pulled their little stunt at the temple. But I still think that we should hold back as much and as long as we can. Enjoy normalcy while we still can."  
>"The world saw Usagi and Mamoru seal away the volcano. What kind of normalcy is there for them to be had?"<br>"Not for them, Minako, for us. If you ask me, you'd do well to support Takeshi in this."  
>"I'd do well to-? Are you kidding me?" He tried to cut across her, but Minako was picking up steam. Her cheeks even turned a little red, and he wondered just how bad things between her and Takeshi were. "What am I supposed to support, him hiding away and worrying himself stupid or him snapping at Ami or him driving Mamoru to work every day because he thinks that the man who is quite well versed in killing youmas and fighting evil overlords will die at the hands of a normal person swinging a butter knife?"<br>"Look, Minako, I want my kids to be able to go to kindergarden and school when the time comes. Chances are, that's not going to happen because all of us will be living in that big crystalline grave by then. Takeshi wants things too, perhaps kids, perhaps something else, but he doesn't want anyone to get hurt or be miserable or give up the life they've come to love. Don't make him out to be a bad guy; he's not. He just cares."  
>Missing his point completely, Minako narrowed her eyes. "Did he say something about wanting kids to you?"<br>Hiromasa groaned. "Look, do your thing, whatever, but give the man some credit. If he's so worried, then you should take that seriously."  
>"I am!"<br>"No, you're not. You're thinking about the future in that palace and it doesn't scare you. It scares me. It scares Mako, and I know for a fact that it scares Takeshi."  
>"But why? I don't get it."<br>"Seriously?" When she didn't answer, but just kept looking at him so obviously clueless, he pushed Spock off and got up from the couch. "Minako, it's late and I need to be at work at six tomorrow. If you want to wait up for Mako, that's fine, but I'm going to bed."  
>Not sparing her another glance, he grabbed the mugs, and she could hear him walk into the kitchen, open the dishwasher, put them in, and then close it again. After that, there was a moment of silence before she hear him walk up the stairs. Spock looked at her once, and then clumsily jumped off the couch and followed his owner.<p>

Feeling angry and insecure at the same time, Minako too got up and grabbed her purse and jacket form the armchair. She didn't know when the conversation had derailed, but she knew that the freight train had gone over the fucking cliffs in a matter of seconds.

By the time she slipped her shoes on and pulled the front door close behind her, she was no smarter, going over everything in her mind and still finding no answer. She could of course ask Takeshi once she got home, but instinct told her that he wouldn't take too kindly to her discussing his concerns with a third party. And that was only if she could lure him out of his study. Talk about best case scenarios.

In the dark living room, the bottle of wine she'd brought still sat on the coffee table, untouched.

* * *

><p>The day had been long. He'd left the house at five-thirty to drive Mamoru to work and made his way to his own office directly after. When he got back from work around six, he found Minako in their bathroom, curling her hair. She had greeted him with a kiss and a smile, and he felt a part of of him uncoil at her sight.<p>

"Hey," she said against his lips, and in response, he'd pulled her closer for a moment, until he remembered the curling iron in her hand. "Are you going out?"  
>Minako rolled her eyes and twirled some hair into the curler. "It's Thursday. <em>We<em> are going out. Hiro's and Mako's in an hour, remember? I already fed and walked the dog."  
>Takeshi closed his eyes. He'd simply forgotten to tell her. "I cancelled, Minako."<br>She unrolled the curling iron and placed it in the sink. "Why?"  
>He didn't answer and walked over into the bedroom instead, where he shed jacket, tie and shoes. "Takeshi, why?" She'd followed him out, and now reached for his hand, trying to pull him close. "Is it because of the temple? Still?"<p>

He took a deep breath and ignored her question. "Mamoru and Usagi are fine, by the way. He had a good day at work, but he only works in the OR now. No more emergency room because there is no way to be on top of who is coming and going. When I dropped him off at the palace, Usagi was painting some walls."  
>Perhaps she was feeling kind today, but whatever her reason, she didn't try to bring up the temple again. Instead, she looked at him helplessly until she finally found something to say. "Can you paint over the crystal? Does the colour stick?"<br>Takeshi shook his head. "Oh," Minako answered and sat down on the bed, half of her hair curled, the other still straight. After a while, he sat down beside her. "I really want to go to Mako's," she finally said, "you should have asked me before cancelling."

"You didn't ask me before telling Usagi that you are fine with her turning more ruins into crystal buildings."  
>"How is that even related?"<br>He looked at her and reached out to stroke her cheek. Her skin was always so soft, so smooth. He would have loved to see her age, watch time add some laughter lines, but this would not happen, not ever. "It just is," he eventually said, and descended downstairs again, straight into his study.

That had been five hours ago, and she still wasn't back. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd gone to Makoto's and Hiromasa's, where she was probably just now finishing dinner and shrugging back into her jacket. She wore this cognac-coloured leather jacket these days, one she'd made him get her for her birthday last year. He liked the touch of it, liked to see it on her. Reaching down, his hand found Attila, who was dozing on the carpet beside Takeshi's office chair. While he still had the little cherry wood desk Minako had gotten him years ago, he'd had to exchange the chair at some point. But the desk and Minako were the same as they had been sixteen years ago, unchanged by time.

Only when he looked at his dog or at his Hiromasa's children did Takeshi find reminders of how quickly time was passing and of how treacherous the apparition of their faces in the mirrors truly was. They were racing towards an inevitable end: to once again becoming senshi and shitennou. It meant leaving their hard-earned and deeply cherished humanity behind, but Minako didn't see that. She didn't carry the same burdens, the same debts he did, and he was glad for that, of course he was.

Except in the moments when he wasn't, when she was praising Ami and Usagi and their dangerous plan, when she was supporting Ando in his foolish quest for "better PR", whatever that really meant, and when she looked at the future and wasn't afraid, not one little bit. In those moments, a small part of him wished she could understand the kind of fear and regret that made him so wary of their future.

Nothing had ever made him feel so ashamed of himself.

So when Minako returned, the door to his study was still locked, and that night, he didn't come to bed. Instead, she heard him pacing downstairs. At some point, the sound of his steps made her fall asleep.

She woke when the sun was rising again, and when he had already left.

* * *

><p>***<strong>End of Chapter Three<strong>***


	4. Chapter 4

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p><strong>Monday:<strong>

It was Monday morning and outside, Tokyo was bustling with activity.  
>Sitting at his favourite table by the window, Ando was busy scribbling dates and addresses into his new black diary. Makoto was behind the counter, cleaning up the mess the first morning rush had left in its wake. Ando paid her little attention; both she and he were busy and they'd chat again later. Her café was one of his favourite haunts, especially now that the Museum of Modern Art had unfortunately been ripped apart by a a huge chunk of crystal three hours ago. It was all over the news, and he'd have to do something about it soon or he might as well build a space shuttle for Mamoru and Usagi to take them to a safe location far, far away from the angry art lovers of Tokyo.<p>

It was a bit ridiculous, really. Before his journey, he'd spent plenty of time in the museum and its café, and most of the time, he had both places to himself. But now everyone acted as if the paintings and sculptures in that building had been patched together by their firstborns and were of the highest emotional value imaginable. Thinking back to the fairly disgusting installation of golden caviar on canvas, Ando didn't get what all the fuss was about. Most of the stuff in the museum was hideous, which was kind of the point of modern art anyway.

Playing with his pen, he looked down on his diary again.

_Monday: IKEA with Usa & Mina / Setting up time for meeting w. Takeshi on SAT (IMPORTANT)_

_Tuesday: Lunch w. Umino, Ami, Mamoru hospital. 1 P.M._

_Wednesday: Strategy meeting with Minako, early._

_Thursday: Afternoon with Hiro & the kids (presents needed)_

_Friday: Coffee w. Setsuna Meioh (WHEN, WHERE?)_

_Saturday: Golf w. Takeshi (time?)_

_Sunday: Date with Rei, 5 P.M._

He'd already spoken with Takeshi and arranged a teetime for Saturday. Makoto had called Hiro to tell him that Ando would be coming over on Thursday. He yet had to call Setsuna Meioh, but he wanted to talk to Usagi first, suss a few things out. He'd only met the senshi of time once, and that had been during the catastrophic round room meeting. He knew little to nothing about her, and he had an inkling that he should be prepared before sitting down for a serious chat with the tall woman.

Originally, he'd planned to just whisk her away for a coffee after their next group meeting in the round room, but Mamoru had cancelled it late last night because he had to work to make up for the many shifts he'd missed after the attack. Instead, he offered Ando a lunch with him, Umino and Ami in the hospital cafeteria tomorrow, which was not Ando's first choice for food, but okay, whatever. He could eat bad hospital food if that meant he could talk to Mamoru without Takeshi hovering over the prince like an angry watchdog.

When he looked at the entry for Sunday, an unbidden smile blossomed on his face. This Sunday at 5 pm, he'd take Rei Hino out for dinner and a movie. It would be their first date, and it would be only the two of them, and no-one was allowed to interrupt or ruin it for them.  
>Well, other than himself, obviously. Being around Rei was the weirdest thing: half the time he was worried about fucking things up and acting stupid, and the other half of the time, mainly in crisis situations, he had no time to think at all and they just clicked. It had been like this when she'd come to console him after the first round room meeting, and again when it had been his turn to console her last week. As far as he knew, she hadn't been back to the temple her friends had restored for her, and he was quite sure that if it was in any way possible, she wouldn't ever set foot on the formerly holy ground again. There was nothing holy about it now anyway. Maybe the art lovers were onto something after all: the crystal was a nasty piece of work.<p>

A plate with cookies was put in front of him and interrupted his thoughts. They looked a bit burned round the edges.  
>"Try those and tell me what you think," Makoto said, arms crossed and brows furrowed. Ever the willing victim, Ando reached for one the cookies and put it into this mouth. He chewed on it, and a tangy, spicy smell exploded on his tongue. Reaching for his coffee, he quickly took a sip to wash it down. "Not my kind of thing," he responded carefully. Makoto looked down at him, her green eyes probing. Okay, so clearly he wasn't off the hook yet. Ando leaned back in his chair and squinted up at her. Honesty was always a bit tricky with Makoto: she was a prickly woman. Sometimes all she wanted was the truth, and other times, she preferred to stick her head into the sand and wait for the storm to pass. It was why she and Hiro were such perfect couple: they were one and the same in this regard. Deciding that there was no way she'd let him get away with a lie anyway, he opted for the truth, hoping it wouldn't cause her to spit in his next coffee.<br>"To be honest, I don't think it's anybody's kind of thing. What's in it, burnt pepperoni?"  
>"Too spicy?"<br>Ando shrugged. "I like spicy food, but it was weird. Kind of what I imagine licking Umino's feet would taste like."  
>She narrowed her eyes. "Thanks, you're such a charmer."<br>"Hey, you asked for my opinion."  
>"Would it kill you to be more polite?"<br>"I was," Ando said with a completely straight face.  
>Makoto stared at him for a long minute before breaking into a grin. "I know when you're toying with me by now. You're toying."<br>"Good call, Sherlock. But I'm really not too fond of those cookies. Now, those blueberry muffins you have just put into the counter are a different matter. Can I have one of those?"  
>"If you pay for them, you can have them all."<br>Clutching his chest in a melodramatic fashion, Ando put on a suffering face. "Oh woman, you are too cruel. Don't you know that I am a poor man?"  
>"No, you're not. Umino said your travel book sells well."<br>"He's such a tattle-tale. Fine, I'll pay for the muffin. And hey, if you tell me what kind of food Rei likes, I'm gonna give you a really nice tip too."  
>"I'll let you find that out for yourself," Makoto answered, snatched the plate away, and walked into the kitchen.<p>

Should have lied about those cookies, Ando thought and stared down at the diary again.

* * *

><p>"What have I ever done to deserve this?" Ando asked and pushed the trolley down the long aisle, watching Minako and Usagi prancing ahead to shelf 14, where cheap pink plastic chairs waited for their new tasteless owners. Walking beside each other, the two women looked like sisters, almost twin sisters now that Usagi had cut her hair and no longer wore it in her trademark odangos.<p>

Mina turned around and grinned at him. "You said you had nothing to do, and we said great, and then you agreed to do the heavy lifting in exchange for us telling you what kind of flowers Rei likes."  
>Usagi, already pulling the first pink chair off the shelf, giggled. "Of course, Rei likes all flowers, so we tricked you a bit."<br>Minako moved to help Usagi with the next chair. "She doesn't like lilies anymore because of her father." Frowning, Usagi put the chair on their trolley. "Ah, right, I'd forgotten."  
>"Her father?" Ando asked, and leaned against the shelf, watching the two women load up their already full trolley with a total of four pink chairs. At least the chairs covered the purple throw pillows, the greenpink blanket and more scented candles than anyone could ever need. Mamoru would be delighted, Ando thought with a wry smile.

"Oh, her father is a bit like your father, only in more absent," Minako said with a shrug. "Long story. Maybe Rei will tell you herself one day. Now, come on, we still need to get four big Billy shelves and the magnetic white board that Usagi says they don't sell here but I know they do."  
>Usagi frowned again. Twice in five minutes, Ando noted. Minako would give her friend wrinkles before long. Pulling her hair up in a ponytail, the future queen of Tokyo fastened it with a pink hair tie. "Mina, IKEA doesn't have whiteboards, I'm absolutely sure because when Ami and Umino moved in together, we went to a DIY store to get a whiteboard and we'd been to IKEA before to get a new bed for them."<br>Ando buried his head in his hand. "I _so_ didn't want to know that."  
>"You are a dirty old man," Minako shot back and Usagi nodded in assent.<p>

The three made their way back out of aisle 23 and headed towards the cashier section of the store. As they went, Usagi stopped at every other display to look at everything from mugs (on sale, second selection, half price!) to lawn chairs. But she didn't put anything else on their trolley and instead muttered something about having to save money and just getting the shelves.

The Billy shelves were on sale this week, hence their trip to the store in the first place. They were all set up in neat rows right in front of the tills. When they came to a stop in front of them, Ando looked down at their trolley and then back up at the flat, long boxes. "We're going to need a second trolley." Minako was off before he could volunteer to get it himself.  
>"What do you need the shelves for anyway? Does Mamoru have so many books?"<br>Usagi shuffled her feet and shook her head. "I tried to paint his study last week. The colour wouldn't stick, but I also can't get all of it off, so one of the walls is all messed up."  
>"And you want to cover the stained crystal with shelves," Ando concluded, and Usagi smiled up at him. "Yeah."<br>"Have you tried Windex?"  
>"I have even tried bleach," she said and held up her hands. There were a few blisters on her knuckles and fingertips. Ando reached for her hands and examined them with narrowed eyes. "Can't Mamoru make those go away with his magic sparkly fingers?"<br>"He could, but I don't want him to," Usagi said and Ando let go of her hand.  
>"I see," he said, and did. So even Usagi, who'd fought monsters since she was 14 and had spoken to her future self and her past self's mother and her yet unconceived daughter was trying to find a way to cling to her mortal life. It made him want to give her a hug and because Ando was Ando, he did. He pulled her close for a moment, and she leaned into the touch.<br>"It's gonna be fine, you know that, right?" he said against her head, and he felt her nod into his shoulder. They broke apart seconds before Minako returned with a second trolley, one that already bore some of the mugs Usagi had picked up earlier and a huge potted plant. Ando tilted his head and looked behind the plant. Yep, there was the lawn chair, a toilet brush, and the absolutely hideous flower-print rug Usagi had admired earlier.

"Those are my moving in presents for the two of you," the senshi said with a big smile. "Bit late, but you don't mind, do you?"  
>Usagi's blue eyes went wide. "Really? For us?"<br>"Really," Minako answered. "Come on, let's get those shelves and then we're going to hit the Sweden Shop to get you stocked up on frozen cinnamon rolls and meatballs!"

* * *

><p><strong>Tuesday:<strong>

The hospital was big, so Ando was grateful that Mamoru had told him to just come to the front entrance. He was already waiting for him when Ando got there at five to one, a tall thin man in a white lab coat and blue scrubs.  
>The smile on Mamoru's face was bright when he spotted Ando walk towards him.<br>"You're early."  
>"Yeah, a bit. Nice of you to come and get me."<br>"That's okay. Come on, Umino and Ami are already waiting for us."

As they made their way through the hospital, Ando noted how all the staff treated Mamoru as one of their own, a normal, ordinary doctor, but many patients and their kin looked at him with wary eyes. Without a doubt, what they saw was not the doctor, but rather the man they'd seen on the front page of their morning paper. Had they been reborn thirty years earlier, in a time with no internet and camera phones, then Mamoru might not have ever been recognised as the man who sealed the volcano away. There might not have been someone with a camera around, and in that case, there would have been no pictures, and no-one would have known for sure. But as things were, they were reborn in a time of technological advancement. As far as Ando knew, no journalist had witnessed the sealing of the volcano, but the few passersby who'd lingered had taken photos, made videos, and the whole thing was online before you could say Jack Robinson. Ando had been secretly cursing phones with cameras and internet access since. What made it worse was that unlike Usagi, a new haircut wouldn't help disguise Mamoru. He was so easy to identify, it was almost ridiculous.

They met Umino and Ami in the cafeteria. Both were already holding trays and standing in line like the good little boyscouts Ando knew them to be. He greeted Umino with a pat on the head and Ami with a swift kiss on her cheek. She blushed prettily and handed him a tray. She too was wearing scrubs and a lab coat, but unlike Mamoru, she looked too young for the garb. "Thanks," Ando said, and studied the chalkboard signs declaring today's 'specials'. Before long, he frowned. "What's special about spaghetti bolognese?"  
>Mamoru grinned. "Nothing. They have five dishes: spaghetti bolognese, tuna salad, something they call roast meat with potatoes, something with rice and fish, but I really wouldn't eat that, and pizza. All of them are 'special'". He pointed to the other signs above the food counter and Ando groaned. "So much for you treating me to culinary master pieces. You know, I thought this would be like your dates with Takeshi, where you get nice food and nifty wine."<br>Umino grinned. "No, that's only for them. We get cafeteria food."  
>Mamoru rolled his eyes. "That will never get old, will it?"<br>"Never ever," Ando assured him.

He decided to be adventurous and chose the roast, but made Umino get an extra slice of pizza just in case. Predictably, both Mamoru and Ami chose the salad. "You goody two-shoes," Ando teased them good-naturedly and Ami smiled. If Umino was to be believed (and the philosopher always was), she hadn't done much of this lately. Ami was still worried about possibly having hurt Usagi and definitely having angered Takeshi.

When they sat down somewhere at back of the dining hall, Ando quickly scanned the room, making sure that nobody was coming at Mamoru to whack the man to death with a dirty tray. When he finished his survey, he noticed that Umino was doing the same, only in subtler and slower. Ami and Mamoru in the meantime had started chatting about a patient of theirs, oblivious to their company's security worries. Umino's and Ando's eyes met in perfect understanding, and Umino nodded once before reaching for his pizza. For now, everything was fine.

The roast was too salty, which Ando could have possibly ignored, but unfortunately, it was also way too dry, which he couldn't. So he reached over and stole the second slice of pizza from Umino's plate.  
>"If Takeshi is so worried about your well-being, he should pack you some lunch boxes too because I think the cooks here are out to get you," Ando said between bites. Mamoru laughed, but Ami lowered her fork, and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said with a brittle voice. Umino gave Ando a look, and promptly, Ando felt like shit. "Ami, I didn't mean anything by it," he said and met her eyes. Like Mina's and Usagi's and his own, they were blue. It was funny, the way the three girls all had blue eyes, but in completely different shades. Usagi's blue was the lightest, a touch of silver in them too. Minako's were like a summer sky (even though Takeshi would punch him in the face if her ever dared say that aloud) and Ami's really were like the ocean, dark and deep and pensive. And also, sad. Ando hated that. Sad girls were his kryptonite.<p>

Umino reached over and placed a hand on Ami's. "Takeshi will come around. We all know you never meant to jeopardise Usagi's safety." Pushing his plate away from him and bracing his hands against the edge of table, Mamoru joined the conversation too. He lowered his head until he caught Ami's eyes. His were even darker than the water senshi's, and right now, they were clouded by anger.  
>"Ami, we've been over this. You don't have to worry. Usagi is fine, and she was fine, and she will be fine. And I'm okay with what you did, and if Takeshi isn't then that's his problem, but it's not yours. You didn't do anything wrong." Finally, Ami nodded, a minuscule movement. All three men kept their eyes on her, and finally, with a little sigh, she dug her fork into her salad and resumed eating.<p>

Umino and Mamoru relaxed visibly. Ando noticed all of this, and more. Mamoru had said that Ami hadn't done anything wrong. Thinking back to Rei's face at the temple, he was inclined to disagree. Ami and Usagi had chosen a wrong place to start their mission, but they had meant well. And the truth was that Ami was too nice to be made to feel bad for something she'd only done to help a friend. The road to hell and all that, Ando thought, and took a bite of his pizza. It tasted only marginally better than the roast, which in turn had been only a bit better than the abysmal cookie Makoto had made him try yesterday.

It seemed that it was not a good week for food altogether. That reminded him...  
>"Ami, where should I take Rei to dinner on Sunday? I asked Makoto, but I insulted her baking skills, so she wouldn't help me."<br>Mamoru did a double take. "Why would you do that? She's an excellent baker."  
>Ando made a so-and-so movement with his hand. "Ask her for the feet-cookies she made, and after you've tried them, we can revisit this conversation. Now, Ami. Where to?"<br>Mamoru looked at Umino and mouthed "feet-cookies", a big question mark on his face. Umino shrugged and continued to eat his pizza.

"Well, Rei likes traditional Japanese food," Ami said, and Ando had to resist pulling out his pen and notebook. That would be creepy, and he'd sworn to himself he wouldn't be creepy about this. "Okay, anything else?"  
>Ami pondered it for a moment, not rushing to an answer. Eventually, she said: "We had curry take-out a while ago. She liked that too."<br>"Do you think I should take her somewhere fancy?"  
>Umino laughed. "You are like a fifteen year old boy before his very first date. Just take her to dinner and try to behave: it's not rocket science."<br>Their group broke up not long after they'd finished dinner. Mamoru and Ami had to hurry back; there was an appendectomy waiting for them. When they talked about it, their faces had lit up like Christmas trees and Ami had become more animated than Ando had ever seen her. He was beginning to understand where Hiro and Takeshi were coming from - there was a lot at stake here.

"Why so silent?" Umino asked. They were walking back to the palace. It would take them roughly thirty minutes and would allow them to listen in on what people were saying about the royal couple and the museum of modern art. Near a subway station, they stopped to get some coffee. The autumn air was turning colder and crisper with each day, even though the sunshine belied the sinking temperatures.

"I wonder if we can find a way to keep everyone in their jobs while we get CT set up," Ando said after he paid for their coffees and they were once again on their way. Beside him, Umino took the plastic lid off his paper cup and tossed it in a trashcan they passed.  
>"No," he simply said, and Ando groaned. "My, you are helpful today."<br>"Mamoru and Usagi will have other things to attend to. Meetings with politicians, for one. They need political support if this is ever supposed to work."  
>"You've been thinking about this."<br>"I have a Ph.D. in philosophy, thinking is what I do." The smile on Umino's lips was small but proud. His degree meant a lot to him.  
>"What else have you been thinking?" Ando asked, curious to see what his brilliant friend's mind had been concerned with.<br>"We need someone on the inside," Umino said simply, and stopped, his shrewd eyes intent.  
>"On the inside of what?" Ando asked, feeling unusually stupid.<br>"Parliament," Umino responded, and Ando frowned. If Umino was saying what he thought Umino was saying, then the genius was clearly on crack. Himself in a suit in parliament? Not very likely. "I'm not too good with warming people's hearts, in case you haven't noticed," he said slowly and twisted the cup in his hands.  
>"In fact, you are excellent at it when you want to be. You just don't, at least most of the time. No, we would need someone people would think of as reliable. Smart, solid. A bastion of calm in an ever-changing world."<br>Ando whistled. "Have you talked to him about it yet?" There was no need to ask whom Umino was talking about now. There was only one person in their group who could fit that description.  
>Umino took a sip of his coffee. "No. I haven't spoken to Takeshi in two weeks."<br>That was unusual. Judging from the many letters Umino had sent him over the years, the architect and the philosopher were normally always in cahoots together. Of course, the solution to this little mystery was alarmingly simple. "Because of Ami?"  
>Umino nodded.<p>

"He was worried," Ando said, wondering when he had slipped into the habit of explaining the intricacies of Takeshi Nakamura's mind to everyone who would listen. He didn't like himself in this role, he much preferred sniping and snarking about the morose architect. Well, come Saturday, he'd have a chance to re-establish the world's balance by pissing Takeshi off.

* * *

><p><strong>Wednesday:<strong>  
>Back when he began and ended all days with a deep look into a whiskey bottle, Minako had made Ando get up at a god forsaken hour to come walk her dog. He had cursed her day in, day out for this, even calling her names, but Minako had never let up and so he had risen, tossed on some clothes (sometimes dirty, sometimes clean) and had picked up Minako's Great Dane for its first walk of the day while the senshi returned to bed.<p>

This was over fourteen years ago, but it hadn't taken Ando that long to figure out that it was Minako doing him a favour and not the other way round. In those days, bereft of a purpose, she had given him one. A simple task he could accomplish every day. A step towards a life that was not filled with misery and loneliness and booze.

Nowadays, Ando was by no means tee-total: he still smoked like a chimney and could drink almost everyone under the table. But when he got himself a tumbler of whiskey these days, he would pause to appreciate its flavour instead of downing it in one go. Ando was a man who lived with no illusions: back when they all returned, when Rei wouldn't look at him, Minako, Umino and Attila had been his only real friends.

So when he rose that morning in his tower room in the crystal palace and looked outside at the still sleeping city, he knew that no matter what he and Minako would discuss today while they walked her ancient dog through the park, they were okay. She'd seen him at his best and at his worst, so a talk about Crystal Tokyo and her boyfriend and the troubles ahead of them all held no hidden landmines for him to step upon. With Minako, being honest had always been the only option because she wouldn't have ever accepted anything else.

His shower was quick and hot. It was one of the oddities and miracles of the palace: the hot water supply, the toilets, the bathrooms in general. Nobody had built them, and he knew by now that there were no pipes anywhere, and yet, there were plenty of fully functional bathrooms all over the palace. The water always came out just a bit too hot at first, but Ando figured that this was due to the palace sitting on a frigging volcano.

As far as he knew by now, the palace had been almost empty when Mamoru and Usagi moved in. The bathrooms had been there, fully installed and ready to go, and the big table with the many chairs in the round room had appeared out of thin air too. At first Ando thought Hiro had crafted them: the old oak looked like material his friend (if he could call him that) would enjoy working with, but Mamoru had told him that it was already there when he set foot into the room for the first time. The same went for two crystal thrones in the throne room, but nobody was using that one at the moment anyway.

Drying himself off with an almost clean towel (he was still unused to not having cleaning ladies come in and change sheets and towels every other day), he opened his wardrobe. Always waiting for him was the crumpled grey uniform at the bottom. He had taken it off its hanger and let it fall to the wardrobe's floor on his very first night back and still hadn't picked it up and straightened it out again. Steadfastedly ignoring it once more, he choose a dark blue woollen jumper that was not his own, but looked nice, a pair of well worn jeans (definitely his own), and blindly reached for underwear and socks.

He was ready to go before the clock turned seven, only to remember that he and Minako wouldn't meet until nine. This wasn't like back in the day, where he had to be at her place while the nightingales still sang. Now that she wasn't worried about him anymore, he was allowed to sleep in and come later.

Problem was that left him with nothing to do until then.

* * *

><p>The bell chimed and announced his arrival. Makoto was behind the counter already, fixing a big latte to go for a familiar silver-haired man.<br>"Morning," Ando said, his voice carefully cheerful, and Takeshi turned around. As always, he was dressed to the nines: grey suit, silver tie, white shirt, black shoes, ridiculously expensive black coat. "Ando," Takeshi said and inclined his head just a fraction.  
>Always nice to be welcomed so enthusiastically, Ando thought, and shrugged out of his jacket. He walked to the clothes tree Makoto kept near the entrance to the customer toilets and hung up his jacket. As an afterthought, he took off his mustard yellow scarf too.<p>

Makoto's welcome was noticably warmer than Takeshi's. She winked at him and began to make his customary coffee, black, extra strong, big mug. Feeling a bit self-concious, Ando leaned on the counter next to Takeshi.  
>"Did you already drive Mamoru to work?" he asked and began to play with a little packet of sugar.<br>"I did," Takeshi answered and fell silent again, clearly intent on willing Ando away.  
>"And is Minako up already?" the journalist continued, aiming for nonchalance and small talk.<br>"Yes, she is taking a shower. But from what I understood, she doesn't expect you until nine."  
>Ando shrugged. "I wasn't planning on being early." He pulled a rolled up newspaper from the back pocket of his jeans and put it on Makoto's gleaming counter. "There's coffee to drink, a paper to read. Makoto to talk to," Ando said, and behind the counter, Makoto rolled her eyes. "Not that Makoto has to work, or anything."<br>"You are a woman; you can multi-task," Ando responded and winked at her.

Takeshi cleared his throat and picked up the paper. The frontpage now featured a list of all the places damaged by crystal. Since the museum, another prominent building had been swallowed by the purifying substance: the old Muguen Gauken school building. Luckily, the skyscraper had been empty for years, so nobody was injured when the crystal literally ripped the building apart. It had all happened overnight, and the picture on the frontpage showed only one tall tower of crystal, with several huge chunks of broken cement at its feet.

"What happened at this place?" Ando asked Makoto after checking that the only other customer, an old man, was out of ear-shot. Makoto turned around, his coffee already in hand. He accepted it gratefully, and handed her a few crumpled notes. "That's too much," she said, frowning.  
>"I'm also going to need six brownies, so it really isn't," he answered cheekily. Beside him, Takeshi unfolded the paper, his green eyes darting over all crystal related articles. "To follow up Ando's inquiry, what <em>did<em> happen at this building?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the page.  
>Makoto rose on tip-toes, and like Ando before her, made sure that the old man at the window table was busy with his own newspaper and not inclined to come over for another beverage.<p>

Sinking back down to stand firmly on her feet, Makoto made eye-contact with Takeshi and Ando.  
>"It used to be the school Hotaru attended. Her father had some labs underneath the building, where he... well, where he created demons and then set them loose on the city. That's it in a nutshell."<br>Takeshi looked at the printed picture one more time. "I see."  
>"And the building has been empty since?" Ando asked, and Makoto nodded. "Yeah. Technically, it belongs to Hotaru, but she never knew what to do with it and just left it empty. So at least we don't have to worry about a home-owner asking for recompense."<br>"Does Hotaru know?" Takeshi asked, pale brows arching upwards. Makoto frowned. "No, she's still in Sydney. What with the time difference, I don't think Setsuna has called her."  
>"I'll speak to Setsuna and look into it," Takeshi said and handed the paper back to Ando.<p>

"Don't kill my dog," he suddenly said to Ando, and Ando's jaw dropped. Where on earth had that come from? "Man, I love Attila," he sputtered, and felt himself blush.  
>Instead of answering, Takeshi just stared at Ando with the kind of disapproving look that would have done Ando's father proud. It was the kind of look that made Ando feel all of seven years old again, standing in his father's study with the broken vase in one hand, and his baseball glove in the other.<br>"I'll take good care of your dog, Takeshi," he slowly said, and instead of letting him off the hook, Takeshi kept his green eyes on him. "And of her too," the architect said, and Ando found himself nodding. "Yeah, sure, not that Mina needs much-" Takeshi flexed his hand once, purely on instinct, Ando was sure, but it was a bit threatening anyway. In another time, this kind of movement had preceded burst of energy shooting out of his commander's fingertips.  
>"I'll take good care of her," he promised, wondering why he had to discuss the life of a dog and Minako's safety when all they wanted to do was take a walk and eat some brownies.<br>"Good. I will see you on Saturday. It would be nice if you could manage to be on time," Takeshi finally said in a tone that was almost friendly. The architect reached for his coffee, said goodbye to Makoto and walked out without looking back.

Meeting Makoto's eyes, Ando leaned himself against the counter. "What the fuck was that about?"

* * *

><p>"So, your boyfriend warned me about not getting you killed today," Ando said as he and Minako ambled along the forest path, Attila by their side rather than running ahead. There was rain in the air, even though it hadn't fallen yet. Ando pulled a black knitted hat from the pocket of his jacket and put it on.<br>"Did he? Well, these days he wouldn't notice if I was drowning in my own bathtub, he's so busy locking himself away."  
>"He did lend you his car," Ando said carefully, and Minako snorted. "He lent Attila his car. I'm only the driver."<p>

Minako had surprised him by waiting for him in front of the door, dressed in her waxed jacket, rubber boots, skinny jeans and a bright blue longsleeve with the Disney castle logo printed on it. "Nice shirt," Ando had said, "very appropriate these days." She'd stuck out her tongue and ushered him into Takeshi's BMW. Attila was already dozing on blankets on the backseat, only lifting his head when Ando climbed into the car.

Thirty minutes later, they'd left the city behind and were driving towards a forest Minako said she wanted to take a look at. When Ando asked her why, she muttered something about Makoto and a youma back when they were teenagers. They reached their destination after another forty minutes on the road, and for the first time since he returned from his travels, Ando took in the clean air of a forest. It was wonderful.

Now they were walking down a small path that led to a waterfall. During the ride, they had already discussed whom to invite into the palace. They'd agreed on inviting a team of journalists from a number of papers (both yellow and serious press), from the country's biggest TV channel, and a number of politicians. This would have been a perfect inroduction to talk about Umino's idea, but Umino had made it clear that this was a subject he wanted to broach with the architect himself.

"So things between you two - not so good?" Ando asked and watched Minako shove her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Also, why aren't you wearing a scarf? It's scarf weather. If you get a cold, Takeshi will flay me alive."  
>"If I get a cold, you can make me chicken soup. Takeshi won't notice. Let's change the topic. Don't you want to ask me things about Rei?"<br>For a moment, Ando fought falling for the obvious distraction, but the temptation of finding out more things about Rei Hino was too strong. "Has she seen anyone while I was gone?"  
>Minako rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. New guy every week."<br>"Minako, be serious."  
>"Pot calling lid black."<br>"It's kettle; pot calling kettle black. So, has she?"  
>"Have you?"<br>Attila stoppped, and so did the two friends. The old Great Dane sat down and began to lick one of his front paws. Minako frowned and crouched down beside him. "Did you step into something, sweetie?" She took Attila's paw in his hand and bent her head to peer at its underside. "Nope. You're just lazy." Letting his paw go, she instead patted his big head and Attila moved to lick her hand.  
>Minako gave him an inquisitive look; and it felt as if she was measuring up for size. "Have you been seeing someone?"<br>Ando crouched down too. "If I had and she found out, she'd never look at me again. So no, I haven't. It wouldn't have been worth the risk."  
>"Good boy," Minako cooed and petted her dog, but the cheeky glint in her eyes told Ando that she wasn't talking to the dog at all.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday:<strong>

Thursday brought the rain that Wednesday had promised. When Ando woke at seven, it was already pounding against the crystal windows, a slow, steady rhythm. Getting up, he walked over to the windows and looked down. Even from all the way up here and without the sun yet up, he could see the puddles forming below.

Big clouds hung on the still dark sky and Ando had a feeling that he wouldn't see the sun all day. But that was okay, he had plans to hang out with Hiro and his kids anyway. The morning would be devoted to getting the little monsters some presents (Minako had told him all about mermaid Barbie and her effect on an adult's popularity). Finding something for Aiko would be easy as pie: she was a girl, she was under five, she liked Barbies. Problem solved. Something big, pink, and plastic, and he'd surpass Takeshi as the favourite uncle in mere minutes. But what about little Yoshi?

Makoto's and Hiromasa's son was barely a year old, and all Ando knew about him was that he allegedly looked just like his father (which seemed ludicrous, given Hiromasa's beard and six feet five frame) and that he was a healthy baby. He remembered an email from Minako saying that unlike Aiko (whose birth had taken almost three days), Yoshi had been born an hour after Makoto's first contraction.

All of this information was nice and dandy, but didn't help him get a good present for the kid. What did extremely tiny people like? Plush toys? Fisher Price thingies? Certainly something that they couldn't swallow because babies tended to die because of that kind of shit.

And should he get Hiro and Makoto something too? Over the years, he'd sent everyone some stuff from his travels, but he did have to admit that Mamoru, Umino and Minako had received the most while Hiro and Takeshi had drawn the short end of the stick. And now more than ever, it was important that his two fellow shitennou warmed to him because if Ando had learned one thing over the past three weeks, then it was that they'd have to stick together because otherwise, they were doomed.

* * *

><p>"I want to make Hiro like me, what kind of present do I give him?" Ando asked as he entered the room after a cursory knock. He hadn't bothered to knock at the chambers big front door and had instead walked in, crossed the living room, walked through the narrow and cluttered study (satellite scans of the Earth covering every available surface) and had thus found himself in front of his best friend's bedroom door. Trust Umino and Ami to have a bedroom that you could only enter after walking through a study.<p>

Umino, still in bed, but at least awake and clutching a steaming mug of tea, groaned.  
>"You can't bribe him into liking you."<br>"You only say that because you have no idea how bribing someone works. You give them something they didn't even know they wanted, but that is really precious to them. And then voila! You're the attentive friend who cannot be disliked."  
>"How about just being an attentive friend? That might work too, no bribes necessary."<br>Ando took a bite off his sandwich and sat down on the bed beside his friend. He could still see the dent in the pillow where Ami had slept earlier this morning. Umino bristled and pulled the blankets up to his chin. "Boundaries, Ando?"  
>Holding out his sandwich (and thus dropping a few crumbs on the midnight blue blankets), Ando waggled his eyebrows seductively. "Take a bite. You know you want to."<br>Rolling his eyes, Umino did. "Mh thish ish really good," he said while chewing.  
>"I know, I made it."<br>"Did not."  
>"Fine, did not. The food fairy dropped it off in front of my bedroom door."<br>"Usagi?" Umino asked, and Ando shrugged. "Dunno. Must be either her, Mamoru, you, Ami, or Rei because that's everyone in the palace. I rule out Rei because peanut butter doesn't seem to be her style. You're still in bed, Ami and Mamoru left hours ago. Usagi seems likely, doesn't she?"  
>"She's nice," Umino said whole-heartedly and took another bite off the sandwich in Ando's hand. In return, he passed Ando the mug and Ando took a sip. "Hot!" he exclaimed, sounding more than a little insulted.<br>Umino grinned. "It's tea, what did you expect?"  
>"So what should I get Hiro?"<br>Umino took the mug back, cradling in his hand while kicking the covers down to reveal a pair of striped pyjama pants, a grey t-shirt, and some thick woolen socks that looked like-  
>"- hey did your gran make those? I want some too!" Ando said and leaned forward to examine the socks with envy.<br>"Yeah, they came in the post yesterday. They're great, aren't they?" Umino wiggled his toes. "She thought I'd need some because she saw pictures of the palace and thought it looked cold."  
>Ando raised his brow. "Wait, you told her you moved in here?"<br>Umino gave his friend a levelled look. "Ando, I tell her everything. Not my siblings, not my parents, but her."  
>Ando leaned himself back against the pillow. "And how did she react?"<br>"To the moving into the palace part or the reincarnation part?"  
>Ando whistled. "You really did tell her everything."<br>"I told her about the reincarnation a few years ago. After you and I had been to Greece, to be exact. She said that ever since I moved to Tokyo, she'd been waiting for me to tell her what changed me."  
>"You didn't change - you're the same as you were when I met you at the airport," Ando insisted, but Umino shook his head and smiled.<br>"No, I'm not. I grew up when I met you, when I met Mamoru. But never mind: the point is, I told her, and she made me socks."  
>"She's a terrific old lady."<p>

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "Come in, it's open," Umino yelled, and Usagi promptly stuck her head in. "Hey, is Ami still here?"  
>"No, she left with Mamoru two hours ago," Umino answered. Ando looked at Usagi, her hair once more in odangos, but with much shorter pigtails than before. Now, they didn't even go past her chin. It was the littlest thing, but it made his chest ache. So he scooted over, bumping his hip against Umino, who in turn also shuffled a few inches to the side. Patting the big free spot on the mattress, Ando grinned at Usagi. "Come on in, Umino and Ami have such a huge bed that it can house the three of us." Usagi hesitated (but only for a moment, and that ended as soon as she saw Umino nod at her) and then bounded into the room and practically jumped onto the bed, causing Umino to spill some tea onto his shirt. He cursed softly, but Usagi didn't catch it.<br>"So what are you two doing?" she asked eagerly and just because, Ando reached over and ruffled her hair. She really was the cutest thing, all friendly and happy and eager. How anyone could look at her and feel threatened was beyond him.  
>"Ando came to annoy me, and also to ask what to best bribe Hiro with because he wants him to like him," Umino said and passed the mug over to Usagi. By now, it was almost empty, but Usagi accepted it anyway and took a tiny sip before passing it back to Umino.<br>Pulling a chocolate bar from the front pocket of her hoodie, she giggled. "Well, that's a stupid question."  
>"Is it?" Ando asked and gave her a skeptical look before taking the chocolate out of her hands. Cadbury's, nice.<br>Pulling the blanket from the foot of the bed and over her sweatpants, Usagi rolled her eyes at him. It made her look like a teenager, and Ando had an inkling that had he known her as a fifteen year old boy without any memories of the past and of Mars, he would have fallen helplessly in love with her. It was almost impossible not to, really.

But he also knew that Usagi was much smarter than her sunny demeanour and clumsy personality suggested. He'd seen that all the way back at the beginning, so he now tilted his head and squinted his eyes at her. If she was going to give him advice about winning hearts, he'd follow it to the letter.  
>"Do tell, my queen", he said teasingly, and as a reward, she giggled again.<br>"Just get him another dog."  
>"Makoto would kill me," Ando said full of conviction.<br>"Not if you get him a dog that no-one else wants. One that needs a home. A dog from a shelter! Makoto wouldn't be mad about that."  
>Ando looked at Umino for confirmation, who shrugged. "All of those dog people are crazy."<br>"Says the man who once fell asleep with Attila draped over his stomach," Ando immediately fired back and Usagi's eyes bulged. "But Umino, he's huge!"  
>"He was a puppy then," the philosopher corrected her gently.<p>

He reached for the remote on his bedside table and switched the television on, just in time for the 8 o'clock news. As they watched the latest report about the crystals (no new ones had grown overnight) and an earthquake in South America, they all fell silent. At some point, Usagi snuck out of the bed, only to return ten minutes later bearing a tray laden with sandwiches and a teapot and two spare mugs. Ando immediately recognised them as the ones Minako had given her friend at IKEA.  
>Umino wasted no time in reaching for a sandwich and promptly added a drop of jam to the tea stains on his shirt. Excusing himself, he disappeared behind a white door at the other end of the room, one Ando knew to lead to one of the many bathrooms.<p>

Choosing a sandwich for himself, Ando threw Usagi a smile. "So you really are the breakfast fairy." "I try," she answered and grabbed the biggest sandwich on the plate. The number of sandwiches she made would have fed all of them bar Hiromasa, and not for the first time Ando wondered how a people person such as Usagi dealt with being holed up in the palace most of the time.  
>"Hey, do you want to come with me when I go out to get presents?"<br>"And by presents you mean dogs?" Usagi said with a full mouth and bright eyes.  
>"Well, that and Barbies," Ando answered.<p>

* * *

><p>When Hiromasa Obuchi had agreed to let Ando come by for the afternoon to play with the kids and hang out and basically let the rascally journalist try to worm his way back into his and wife's life, Hiro had expected many things.<p>

He'd expected Ando to accidentally set his daughter's hair on fire (the fire extinguisher had been tested for the very purpose earlier this day). He'd expected Aiko to hate Ando's guts because Ando was difficult (he had some of Aiko's favourite sweets set aside to help Ando bribe her). He'd expected Ando to drop Yoshi into a well (even though there was no well in a five kilometre radius). He'd expected many things, all of them bad.

But when he opened the door, Yoshi on his arm, and Aiko peeking out behind his legs, all of his expectations had been shot seventeen ways to hell, turned into fairy dust and mixed into Santa's favourite breakfast cereal.

Aiko squeed and began to jump up and down, clutching her little hands into the back of Hiro's sheet.  
>"Daddy, look, uncle Ando got me a DOG!"<p>

* * *

><p>Leaning against the door frame and watching his new best friend wrestle the dachshund into a green tutu, Ando grinned. Take that, mermaid Barbie.<br>Behind him, Hiro cleared his throat.  
>"You are taking this dog back home with you," the furniture designer growled, careful to keep his voice low so that his daughter wouldn't hear them.<br>Ando gave him a one shoulder shrug. "Yeah, sure, you go tell her that." Squatting on her flower carpet, Aiko pulled the dog over, who whined and tried to weasel away. But her little hands held tight and before long, a tiara was put on the dachshund's head. Aiko giggled and hugged the dog to her chest as she would a plush toy. "Daddy, look! Daddy, daddy, look! The doggie is a princess!"  
>"That's nice, sweetie," Hiro said brightly. "Just don't pull on his ears, okay?"<br>"Okay," Aiko answered with a beam and hugged the dog even tighter.  
>"I hate you right now," Hiro muttered into Ando's ear, sounding serious and (unless Ando was very, very wrong) rather affectionate.<br>Peering over his shoulder, Ando's blue eyes met Hiro's brown ones. "Yeah?"  
>"Shut up. You'll be the one to explain this to my wife."<br>"No biggie," Ando retorted, mentally revising everything Usagi had told him to say to Makoto to make sure she wouldn't be too mad.

* * *

><p>"So Usagi and I went into this animal shelter because she thought she should get a dog for the palace, you know, a big guard dog, an angry one to protect her. Kind of like Takeshi. And she looked at the dogs and then remembered that she was a cat person, but by that time, the nice lady working there had already shown us some of their emergency cases, the dogs they've had for more than two years and this little guy was among them and she said that they couldn't find a home for him because he didn't like most grown-ups. Totally fine with kids, totally, 100% fine with kids, but a bit snippy-snappy around adults, women especially, but you know Usagi, heart like melted butter, so she took him home and he maybe have snapped at her and then Mamoru said she couldn't keep him and Usagi was so sad, so so sad, big tears sad, I mean, have you ever seen the woman cry? Breaks your heart into a thousand pieces and I felt so bad for her and then, bam! Epiphany! I said 'wait, maybe Hiro can save the day' and took the dog here and he - the dog, not Hiro - took to Aiko immediately. I mean, look, she's already put him into a tutu and all he did was lick her hand and Hiro likes him too, and he likes Hiro and he - again, the dog, not your husband - sniffed Yoshi's hand and then licked it too and barked at me when I walked up to the crib. So that's all good, right? Your daughter has a new canine friend, your son a protector, your husband another best friend, and Spock farted at the dachshund and nothing happened either. All good," Ando said, finishing with a big and winning smile.<p>

Makoto, sitting opposite him at the kitchen table, got up without a word, snatching the phone from it's charging station on the counter and slammed the door shut, leaving Ando alone in the kitchen.

"That didn't go so bad," Ando said to no-one in particular and began to peel a clementine.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday:<strong>

The question of where to take Setsuna for coffee had been solved by the contents of a thick cream envelope Ando found taped against his door earlier that day. It contained a map of the palace, made by hand, a myriad of strong straight lines etched into white paper. An x had been marked onto two spots. Beside the first x, someone (presumably Setsuna) had written "Ando Tanaka's room" in elegant black script. The other x simple read "meeting point". It was located in the southern part of the palace, far away from Rei's room, his room, Umino's and Ami's apartment, the royal couple's chambers and just about every place that Ando was already familiar with.

The envelope also held a small white card. There was no signature, no greeting, no phone number, only one word: _now_. Ando blinked. He'd been under the impression that they would meet later in the afternoon, but okay, yeah, he could to do now as well.

Stepping back into his room, he quickly threw his jacket, scarf, and hat back on the bed; he wouldn't need them if they just stayed in the palace. He reached for his mobile and typed a quick text to both Usagi and Umino: the three of them had made plans to have breakfast together again and Ando felt sorry about having to miss it. Truth be told, it had been a while since he had felt as relaxed and at ease as he had when he spent the morning in bed with Usagi and Umino, munching sandwiches, watching news, and eventually plotting how to get Makoto to accept a new pet into her household. It had been fun.

As he gave the map a cursory glance, he wondered if he would have fun with Setsuna Meioh. Usagi clearly admired the older woman, and had spoken of her with almost childish admiration. Umino, who was just as nice as Usagi, but less dewy-eyed in his outlook on life, had seconded Usagi's statements about how elegant and smart Setsuna was, but he had also said something else, something that Ando kept coming back to.

"_She's very hard to read."_  
>Now, of course Ando had a certain advantage here. While Umino wasn't able to peer into Setsuna's head to make out her thoughts and motivations, Ando was. Figuratively, not literally, of course. Granted, he wasn't as good at the whole mind-reading thing as he had been in his past lives, but over the years, he had practiced, reacquainting himself with the gift that had once made the high priest choose him as a shitennou.<p>

He had read the thoughts of a cute waitress back in Milan, of an antique seller in Brussels (he hadn't bought that lamp after all; it was about as antique as Aiko's Barbie dreamhouse), of the Tuareg driver of his jeep in Algeria, and of many, many more he had met along the way. On the flight back to Crystal Tokyo, he'd sworn to himself not to pry into the minds of his friends. It was rude (not that he generally had a problem with that) and a breach of trust. It would make everyone even more wary of him than they were now, and he couldn't have that - no, didn't want that.

So ever since he had returned, he had shut it down, relied only on the information he could gleam from the things people said, and in some cases, didn't say. Body language too, of course. But no mind-reading.

Walking down the hallways, the crystal floors gleaming under his feet and the volcano's flames dancing behind their glassy prison walls, he wondered if he had to apply the same rules to Setsuna as he did to Umino, Usagi, Minako, Makoto, Rei, and everyone else. Part of him didn't think so. The tall woman was a stranger to him, and the ties of friendship did not yet bind them together. Of course, if he read her mind and she noticed, they might never become friends in the first place.

After about ten minutes, he found the door that Setsuna had marked on the map. It was nothing special, and he might have walked past it a number of times already, but never really looked at it. Ando frowned. He would have rather met her somewhere else. A café, a park, somewhere normal, somewhere out in the open.

But she had called the shots, and with this one note and map, had tipped the balance in her favour. Ando didn't like other people telling him what to do, where to go, how to behave. He made a very rare exception for Mamoru, but the doctor wasn't even aware of that yet, which was good. Setsuna Meioh wasn't Mamoru though and just as he knocked on the door, Ando could feel his temper rise.

The door swung open by its own accord and Ando stepped into white mist.  
>As soon as he heard the door fall shut behind him, he turned around. It was gone. His heart beat faster, and while he knew that Setsuna wouldn't hurt him, he didn't appreciate this blatant display of power.<p>

"I'm here," he proclaimed, his voice thin in the white nothingness. If he looked down at his feet, he couldn't even see a proper floor, even though he knew, felt, that he was standing on it. Looking up, there was no ceiling. Everything stretched out around him without an end point in sight and Ando's stomach did an unpleasant lurch. He didn't like this, didn't like this at all.

"Hello Ando," a voice said, and Sailor Pluto stepped out of the mist. It danced and coiled around her, her and her giant silver staff with the big red ruby in it. It was the very first time Ando had seen a senshi in this life. He had memories of the past to fall back on, but those were the memories of Jadeite, and of the shadow that had been resurrected during the Dark Kingdom era. Ando Tanaka, the journalist and traveller, had never seen a senshi up close and personal.

"Nice skirt," he said dryly. None of the girls had ever seen the need to transform around him, and the fact that Setsuna did didn't bode well.  
>"Follow me," she said and stretched her arm out into the nothingness as if to indicate a place in the distance. Ando planted his feet firmly onto the ground.<br>"You know what, I don't think so. Let's go and have a coffee somewhere. Somewhere with actual walls. I am quite partial to them." His tone was light, but he was on edge. The mist and the way it moved unsettled him. It reminded him of the big water snakes he had seen gliding through the Amazonian River, just a light ripple on the water's surface, but he'd always known that they could overturn his rickety boat in a second.

"As you wish," Pluto answered and just to his right, the door reappeared. Fighting to hide his relief, Ando gave a little bow. "After you, my lady." Setsuna barely smiled and walked past, breezing through the door that once again opened without a human's touch. Ando hurried after her, impatient to be surrounded by the crystalline walls of the palace once again .

But it was not the palace the door lead back into.  
>"What the fuck-" he bit out, eyes wide. Above them, the blue sky stretched over the walls like colour on canvas. Beneath them, sleek pavement lead to a big, modern building, one that Ando very, very familiar with.<p>

"The museum of modern art!" he exclaimed, staring at what should be a crystalline tower and a few ruinous blocks of cement. "But it was destroyed! I saw it on the news."  
>Pluto shrugged and twisted her right hand in a circular motion, almost the way he did after a long day of writing. The senshi uniform fell away into a brief flash of pink light, and a grey pantsuit took the place of the warrior guardian's attire. "Shall we go in to have some coffee?"<p>

For once stunned into silence, Ando followed her. As they made their way up the steps leading to the main entrance, Ando reached out to touch the banister. It felt real, solid. Inside, people were queuing for tickets, he could see tourists in the museum's souvenir shop, and of course, to the right, the familiar sight of the museum's spacious café presented itself. Setsuna walked in, choosing a table close to the big windows at the front. She wore high heels to make herself even taller: not that it was already bad enough that she was able to kidnap him, Ando thought angrily, no, she also had to tower over him.

Sitting down and gracefully crossing her long legs, she looked back to the entrance, where Ando was still rooted to the spot. "Are you coming in?" she asked dryly.  
>Willing his feet to move forward, Ando made his through the café. It was just like he'd remembered it to be, the way he's seen it the last time he was here, over fourteen years ago. Down to the newspapers by the door, and the brunette waitress behind the counter, everything was the same. It finally clicked.<br>"We are in the past."  
>"Where else would we be? As you said, the building was destroyed."<p>

He sank down onto his chair. It was too much. Yes, there was the whole crystal palace part. Yes, the thing about Usagi being able to sprout wings in dire situations. Okay, the mind-reading. All of that was out of the norm, but he had been able to wrap his mind around it. Even being two people at once, Ando and Jadeite, even that. Granted, it had taken him a lot of booze, more than a decade, and more air miles than any other person had ever accumulated, but he had been able to understand it. This however was beyond him.

"If you can just transport us back into the past, then why can't you go back two months and make sure that nobody tapes Usagi and Mamoru during the sealing of the volcano?"  
>Setsuna shrugged. "Because that's not how it works." He could tell that she was amused, found his bafflement funny. Something inside him snapped.<br>"Please don't take this personally, but you're a bitch," he said and smiled at her, poison sweet.  
>"I was told that you have a bit of temper," she replied evenly and cocked a brow. "You need to work on your self-control if you ever hope to protect your prince."<br>Rage rose in him like an angry wave. "Would you say you have a lot of self-control?"  
>"Yes," she simply said.<br>"And you too want to protect your princess?"  
>"Of course."<br>"Well, I'd say self-control doesn't really help with that. You may have it, but last time I checked, she still died during the attack on the moon."  
>"Careful. Pandora's box should remain firmly shut." For just a second, the café fell away and was replaced by another scenery. The barren land of the moon, the fallen palace, the dead on the floor.<br>Ando closed his eyes. "Fuck you."  
>"You can look again," she said, and her voice was neither hostile nor kind. He opened his eyes, and his eyes fell onto the waitress who brought them two coffees. Setsuna smiled at the girl. "Thank you."<p>

Once the waitress left, Setsuna reached for a small pack of sugar and ripped it open with her perfectly manicured hands. As soon as the last sugar had dropped into the black coffee, she began to stir it with the silver spoon. "I have made my point," she said, "now, what did you want to talk about?"

* * *

><p><strong>Saturday:<strong>

Of course Takeshi had insisted on a teetime at a completely ridiculous hour. Eight o'clock on Saturday. Who the fuck got up at eight on a Saturday? "Insane people, that's who," Ando grumbled just as Takeshi took a swing. The ball soared to the right, and the architect turned to Ando with a face like thunder.

"Oh, stuff it," Ando muttered before Takeshi could complain and walked onto the tee area. He'd chosen a Titleist driver for his first shot, but he was still so angry about Setsuna fucking Meioh, he would have preferred a bloody baseball bat. Bending down, he shoved the tee into the soft ground and placed the yellow golf ball onto it. Straightening up, he got himself into position.

"Feet further apart," Takeshi interrupted, and Ando glared at him.  
>"I know how to fucking play." Not bothering with a test swing, he gave it his all, hitting the ball with as much force as he had. It soared off the tee, into the sky, and landed 150 metres away, right in front of the putting green. Bending down, Ando ripped the broken tee out of the ground, stuffed in his pocket and wondered when life had stopped being fun.<p>

"Let's look for your ball in the rough," he said to Takeshi, shouldered his bag, and began to march down the hill.

* * *

><p>Despite his bad mood, Ando wasn't a man given to silence. He liked to talk, liked to find out things that people didn't want him to find out, liked to connect. And - even though many people didn't think him capable of it - also liked to listen. He was attentive, at least when he wanted to be. He had heard the way Minako had spoken about her relationship to his grumbly golf partner and remembering his friend's sad and angry eyes. He felt that he owed it to her to try to talk to Takeshi on her behalf. Hell, if certainly beat thinking about Setsuna and whatever shitty point the older woman had been trying to make.<p>

So two holes later, just as Takeshi planted his feet into position and took his swing, Ando abandoned his sullen silence. "Why are you not talking to Minako?"  
>Startled at the last second, Takeshi shifted a bit and his shot rocketed wildly in the wrong direction. It landed in a bunker twenty metres to their right.<br>"Would you shut up while I'm taking a swing?" Takeshi snarled, and Ando rolled his eyes.  
>"Only bad players are disrupted by talking. That's what my coach always used to say."<br>Takeshi turned to him with surprise in his eyes. "You had a golf coach? I thought you couldn't play."  
>"The fact that I played the last two holes two under par should have told you differently. So, what's with the locking yourself away and not talking to your fiancée?"<br>"I thought we were here to play golf, not to chat," Takeshi responded, his eyes narrowing.  
>"Actually, I thought it would be good for us to bond. So golf, right? And man, 18 holes without talking are boring. So what's with you?"<br>"I am not discussing my relationship with you." The icy tone made it clear that this topic was now closed, and Ando suddenly had an epiphany: Minako had shut him up just as effectively when they'd been out with Attila three days ago. So maybe the architect and his bubbly friend were a match made in heaven after all.

They made their way down to the bunker, where Takeshi's white ball gleamed teasingly in the sunlight. Ando's own golf ball was another fifty metres down the hole, again nestling close to the putting green. Takeshi climbed into the bunker, took a shot, and the ball flew right above Ando's head, landing a bit further down. Truth be told, it was still a crappy shot, but Ando didn't quite feel like telling Takeshi that. They walked towards the ball, still far away from Ando's golf ball, and even further away from the putting green. Now that one big common denominator, namely Minako, had been taken off the table, Takeshi was obviously hoping that the rest of the game would be spent in silence.

But just because they couldn't talk about Minako didn't mean he and Takeshi wouldn't find another subject, oh no. There was plenty to chose from, a big buffet of tricky subjects waiting just for them.  
>So Ando shrugged and chose the main course, knowing it would make Umino proud. He walked up to Takeshi, who was taking a second practice swing, fingers gripping the 6 iron as if he wanted to throttle it. Ando could tell by how the architect pressed his lips together that the third time would be the charm: this one wouldn't be a practice shot. Time to poke the bear, Ando thought. "Let's talk about something else then. How about you needing to apologise to Ami?"<br>This time, Takeshi missed the ball completely and instead hit the grass, sending chunks of it flying into every direction.

* * *

><p>After a series of withering glares from Takeshi, holes four till seven were spent in silence. Ando liked reasonable risks, but he didn't have a death wish, so he'd decided to shut up for a while. His motivation behind this little outing had not been to make Takeshi hate him, but to bond with the man.<p>

When they reached the putting green of hole eight and Takeshi missed the hole three times even though it was only a metre away, Ando almost felt bad for the architect. It was clear that the question about Ami had shaken him up. Well, as much as anything ever did. He didn't show it; his hands didn't twitch, he didn't cry, he didn't even frown, but his game had turned from bad to worse and Ando always found that that said a lot about a man. Takeshi took a soft swing, and the ball rolled past the hole once more. Next thing he knew, Ando saw Takeshi toss his putter into the rough with full force.

"Ooookay," Ando said slowly and walked into the thigh high grass to retrieve the club. He found it soon enough, but it had hit a tree and was slightly bent. In the world of golf, a slightly bent club was a completely useless one. Snatching his own one from his bag, he made his way to Takeshi and handed it to him. "You'll need a new one, but we can share mine for the rest of the game."

Takeshi accepted it, and finally sank the golf ball into the hole. He was once more perfectly calm, and had Ando not known any better, he would have said he'd only imagined the other man's outburst. Takeshi looked at the hole for a moment before bending down to retrieve the ball and put the flag pole back in afterwards.  
>He remained crouching on the green, his silver head bent.<br>"How is Ami?" he finally asked, and Ando's shoulders sagged. This was progress, this was good.  
>"Sad. Worried. Like you," he amended.<br>"And Umino?"  
>Takeshi looked up and met Ando's eyes.<br>"You better talk to him yourself."  
>Takeshi nodded gravely. "I will. Thanks for the putter." He pushed himself up, and brushed some grass from his beige pants.<br>Ando smiled. "It's nothing. Just don't break it next time you hulk up."

* * *

><p>"You are not wearing proper attire," Takeshi complained and leaned onto his 9 iron. At hole 17, his tone was friendly, and Ando knew that Takeshi was just complaining because he liked to complain, not because he actually had something to complain about. He was okay with that; there was no substance behind it, and he knew that Takeshi was actually finally enjoying himself.<br>"I am wearing the shoes, the pants, and the glove. Shut up, my 'attire' is fine. And put that 9 iron away, you don't know what to do with it anyway. Take the driver, damn it, and hit the ball with all you're worth."  
>"Did your coach tell you that?"<br>"No, I learned that during an anger management class. Hit the ball."  
>"Why did you have a golf coach anyway?"<br>"Because my father wanted me to and I hadn't yet learned how to rebel. Any other stupid questions?"  
>"Yes. Did Minako say something to you?"<br>Ando stopped rifling through his golf bag. He knew there was quicksand ahead and a fire wall behind. "She feels neglected," he finally said, more thoughtful than he normally was. "You've got to stop locking that door, it drives her nuts." He pulled his own driver out of the bag and offered it to the architect.  
>"Anything else?" Takeshi asked and accepted the club from Ando's gloved hand.<br>"She thinks you won't notice if she drowns in the tub. Please notice if she drowns in the tub, Usagi would be devastated," Ando quipped, his worry hidden beneath humour and a smirk.  
>Of course, Takeshi didn't fall for it. He twisted the club, lifting it up to his face to examine it. "Minako is an excellent swimmer, but I wouldn't want to risk upsetting Usagi. I'll make sure she doesn't drown."<p>

After that, Takeshi played a half-decent last hole. The two men went into the club's restaurant to check out the score sheet, even though it was clear to both of them that Ando had kicked Takeshi's arse seven ways to Sunday.  
>Ordering two coffees, two beers, and a few sandwiches, Takeshi leaned back against his chair.<br>"How did your meeting with Setsuna go yesterday?"  
>Not mincing his words, Ando almost spit on the table. "She's a bitch."<br>"Interesting. Not an impression I share."  
>Ando leaned forward, checking left and right that nobody was listening in on them. "She took me back in time. First to the Museum of Modern Art, before the crystal, and then to the moon. Fun times." Ando leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. The memory alone was enough to set him on edge again. He hated that, hated the effect Setsuna had had on him with just one brief flash of the past. In that moment, he'd been so terrified that he'd completely forgotten to read her mind. So much for that genius plan of his, he thought, and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket. He looked around the room, checking for a non-smoking sign, but didn't find one. "Can I smoke in here?"<br>Instead of answering, Takeshi twisted in his chair, and turned to pluck an ashtray from the table behind them. He placed it in front of Ando. "Thanks," the journalist muttered and immediately lit up.  
>"Will you ever give up on this disgusting habit?"<br>Ando shrugged. "No. Yes. Maybe. Who knows."

Their food and beverages arrived and even though Ando would have preferred to start with the beer, he reached for the delicate coffee cup and saucer instead. It had been quite cold outside, and four plus hours in the fresh late October air weren't nothing. The coffee was okay, not as good as Makoto's though. Takeshi too chose the coffee first, but didn't drink from it. He just balanced the saucer with the cup on it in his right hand, as if wondering where to put it. "So she took you back. To which time exactly?"  
>"What do you think? To me frolicking with Mars in a dark hallway?"<br>Slowly, Takeshi lowered the saucer back onto the table. He didn't meet Ando's eyes. "No, presumably not."  
>"I hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it," Ando said, his voice low but agitated. "I don't need a reminder of what I - we - fucked up, it's on my mind often enough."<br>Takeshi looked up. "I do not necessarily agree with this."  
>"Say what?"<br>"You are very keen to relive this past."  
>"I am- what the fuck are you talking about?"<br>"The crystals, the 'PR', all of this leads to one thing: to you becoming Jadeite once more, leaving Ando behind."  
>"Is that what you think? That once we become proper guardians again, we can't be who we are now?"<br>Takeshi looked him, his green eyes full of turmoil. "It's the logical conclusion."  
>"You are wrong, Takeshi, we can be both."<br>"I don't think we can."  
>Stubbing his cigarette out, Ando gave the architect a long look. "So that's why you're hiding from Minako. Because you think she wants you to turn into Kunzite again and that scares the shit out of you. That's it, isn't it?"<br>"Minako doesn't want to turn me into anything, Ando," Takeshi said, "she just sees the future in a different light."  
>"In a bright one. You're too pessimistic by half."<br>"I see myself as a realist," Takeshi answered solemnly, and Ando - not knowing what else to do - waved to the waiter. He appeared promptly.  
>"Hi, can I have two big tumblers of whiskey, one for my realistic friend here, and one for me? Thanks."<br>Takeshi snorted. "I am not getting drunk with you."  
>"One tumbler doesn't make you drunk, even your girl can take more than that. Now shut up and get started on your beer."<p>

And to Ando's surprise, Takeshi did.

* * *

><p><strong>Sunday:<strong>

When Ando had planned his week and made his date with Rei for Sunday, he had thought he'd spend the morning with Umino, having breakfast, being silly, and if necessary, let him talk him down to avoid a panic attack.  
>But you know, the best laid plans of mice and men, and all that jazz.<br>Ando did not wake up in the palace.

Instead, he woke with his face pushed into red fabric, to the sound of a coffee machine dripping and a television blaring. Groaning, he turned to his back, bumping against something soft and furry.

"Careful, don't bump Attila off the couch." Ando opened his eyes (a process that was both difficult and painful). The white painted ceiling above looked familiar, and also, not crystalline. He was not in the palace.

"I am not in the palace," he murmured, and pushed himself up on his elbows. The simple movement caused his stomach to lurch. Not good. This was not good.  
>"Now, think. Think hard. You have three clues. Red couch. Dog. My voice. Where might you be?"<br>Turning his head into the direction of the voice, his eyes came to rest on one Minako Aino, sitting on her plush armchair with a bowl of cereal in her hands. His friend was wearing Spongebob pyjama bottoms, a Sailor V t-shirt, and weirdly enough, Usagi's trademark hairstyle, only minus the pony tails. It looked kind of as if she had stuck two rockmelons to her head and covered them with hair.

"Your hair gives me a headache," Ando groaned and sat up. He was still in his golf clothes, minus jacket and shoes.  
>"You got my boyfriend drunk," Minako sing-songed at him and Ando clutched his head. "Please stop talking."<br>"He's still upstairs, sleeping it off. You know, this is the first time ever I have seen him drunk."  
>How had two tumblers turned into such a massive headache? Oh right. At one point, Takeshi had just bought the whole bottle, and another one after that. So he was drunk. Okay. "Glad to be of service."<br>"I didn't say I liked it."  
>Ando slowly looked up, every movement a giant pain in the- well, you know what. "You mad?"<br>Minako shrugged. "No, not really. He said you two had a nice day at the club."  
>"Yeah, maybe. Kind of. Got nicer after we started drinking." The television's light was flashing into his eyes, and there was some excited kid shouting something at some other equally excited kid. It was all very loud and bright and bothersome. "What are you watching?"<br>"Old episodes of Gossip Girl."  
>"Right."<p>

They were silent for a moment, except for Minako crunching her cereal and Ando groaning every once in a while. The TV was really getting on his nerves.  
>"Mi?"<br>"Yes?"  
>"You said you're not mad. Why are torturing me?"<br>Minako put her spoon into the orange bowl and smiled. "Ask me what time it is."  
>"Be nice, don't play 'annoy the drunkard'. Just tell me."<br>"It's two in the afternoon. Your date is in three hours. I thought you might appreciate some time to sober up and shower."  
>"Fuck," Ando cursed. "I need to get flowers."<br>"You need to de-stink first. You and Takeshi went for the cigars."  
>"We did?"<br>Minako nodded, an amused gleam in her eyes.  
>"You are looking way too smug for such an early hour. Go away."<br>"You also told me that while Rei was the love of your life, all the boys - and I am quoting - got to love Usagi because she is so cute. Takeshi agreed."  
>"He really was drunk."<br>"So were you."  
>"I want to die. Wait, it this the origin of the hair?"<br>Minako giggled. "It's only fair if I tease him a bit."

* * *

><p>When he left the small house and made his way to the palace, the cool October air and the glaring sunshine were a welcome smack to his face. As far as he knew, Takeshi was still upstairs, sleeping.<p>

Ando had gone out of his way to find an activity that he and the architect could bond over, and golf had seemed like such a good idea. Who knew that drinking was an even better one? It wasn't as if they'd shared their deepest and darkest secrets, all their worries and their heartbreaks, both big and small, but they had talked about some things; some important things. Being shitennou. Being people. And being afraid, just a bit. Okay, Ando had talked about being afraid, and Takeshi had listened and once, nodded.

Well, maybe that was a good start. They could go golf again, at some point, and drink too, at a point much further down the line because right now, the thought of booze made Ando want to puke on his own trainers.

He reached the palace and snuck into a side entrance. Why nobody ever watched those entrances was a bit of a mystery. If he were working this story, Ando would be camped outside any and every entrance in a van, watching the comings and goings like a hawk. But nobody even noticed when he walked down the little sidestreet that lead to the back of the palace. Maybe it was magic too, Ando thought, and felt stupid for not having the idea beforehand. He'd have to talk to Ami and Mamoru about it.

Entering the palace after having spent the last twenty-four hours in the real world felt weird. The lack of people, the lack of colours, and most of all, the lack of sounds. There was no humming of electricity, no creaking of wood, nothing. Only his own footsteps as he made his way up to his tower room.

Inside, Umino was waiting, sitting cross-legged on Ando's bed, immersed in a morning paper.  
>"Your date is in two hours," the philosopher announced without looking up, "I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't jumped out of the window because of nerves."<br>"I was playing golf with Takeshi," Ando said, and kicked his shoes off.  
>Umino lowered the paper and grinned. "Yesterday, you were. And then you got him drunk. Minako told me everything."<br>"She's such a gossip."  
>"The best," Umino replied and folded the paper up. "So, I take it you two didn't kill each other. Good, Mamoru will be pleased to hear that."<br>"What do I wear?" Ando asked, and threw himself back on the bed.  
>"Something that doesn't smell like you circa fifteen years ago. I do have to say, this reek of booze and cigarettes brings back so many fond memories." Ando swatted at Umino, but only hit the paper.<br>"What do I wear?"  
>"Nothing," Umino deadpanned, "surprise her with your stunning body."<br>"You are useless."  
>"Useless and amused."<br>Ando groaned and got up again. "I'm going to go take a shower now."  
>"Enjoy your date. Try not to do something stupid."<br>"Thanks for the words of encouragement."  
>"You're welcome," Umino said, folded up his paper and left, chuckling as he did.<p>

* * *

><p>When Ando knocked on Rei's door, dressed in his favourite clothes and holding a small bouquet of pink carnations, white roses and daisies, he wondered if he had been successful in washing the smell of last night away. He'd taken a really hot shower, really, really hot, almost blistering, and brushed his teeth three times. He's also used more deodorant that he would for an afternoon at the gym (not that he ever went to the gym) and what could only be described as a very liberal dose of aftershave.<p>

The door was pulled open and as Rei came into his vision. Ando began to smile, widely, all teeth showing, the kind of smile that after a while, hurts in the best way possible.  
>"Hi," she said and smiled too. "Hi", Ando repeated, and handed her the flowers.<br>"They are lovely, thank you. Come inside, I'm just going to put them in a vase." Ando followed her in, trying his best not to stare at her bottom. The short burgundy dress she was wearing made that more difficult that he had thought possible, opaque tights notwithstanding. Trust her to be covered from head to toe (the dress had a turtleneck and long sleeves) and still be more attractive and alluring than most other women in their best lingerie.

Searching for something else to focus on, he began to look around and take in her apartment.  
>Her rooms looked nothing like his own. They weren't located in a tower for one, but on ground level, with a set of double doors leading into a small garden that he had never seen before. He'd walked around the whole palace when he came back, not once, but twice, and yet, he had never seen it. Must be more concealing magic at work.<p>

"Your place looks nice," he said and Rei turned around with a shy smile. "Thanks. Minako tried to convince me to re-do it three times. She said it lacked some sparkle." Looking around, Ando could see why Minako wouldn't feel comfortable here. There wasn't much furniture, only a cream-coloured couch, a dark wooden bookshelf, a tiny coffee table and a tall paper maché lamp. A few potted plants, and that was it. Rei disappeared into a door to the side and returned with a delicate bone china vase soon after. He held it for her while she placed the flowers inside, tweaking and rearranging them before taking the vase from his hands and settling it on the coffee table. They added a nice splash of colour to the room without taking away from its cool serenity. He decided to bring her flowers more often.

"Shall we go?" she asked, and Ando nodded. "I made reservations at a curry place. Ami said you liked curry."  
>Rei laughed.<br>"What?"  
>"When we ordered curry, I ordered a salad."<br>Ando's face fell. "Oh. Oh crap."  
>"No, it's fine, let's go have curry." She moved towards the door, and gave him another smile, an encouraging one this time.<p>

They left the palace through the front entrance, unnoticed and unseen. Rei was wearing a duffle coat the same shade of burgundy as the dress beneath it. All in all, she only wore three colours. The burgundy of her dress and coat, the black of her tights, scarf and gloves, and the gold of what little jewellery she had put on. Ando had noticed a slim gold ring on her left hand when she had pulled on her leather gloves, and half-hidden beneath her long black hair were small gold hoop earrings. Rei Hino was a woman who exuded class and as such, not the kind of woman Ando had ever been attracted to before. Before the memories and before her, he had always gone for the bubbly blondes with tiny skirts, high heels and wide lip-glossy smiles. He was actually sure that if he took Rei to meet his parents, they would adore her. Not that he had any plans to take her to New York; he didn't think she'd like the city and he was confident that she wouldn't like his parents either. Hell, he didn't even like them himself.

"You're quiet," Rei said, and he chuckled.  
>"Doesn't happen often, better enjoy it while it lasts."<br>"So you asked Ami what I like to eat," she said and threw him a sideways look, corners of her mouth turned ever so slightly upwards. "Who did you ask about the flowers and my taste in film?"  
>Feeling a blush creep up his neck, Ando grinned helplessly. "Usagi, Makoto and Mina."<br>Rei laughed. "Very thorough."  
>"Makoto refused to tell me anything though. Usagi and Mina told me that you like almost all kinds of flowers, so the choice is more or less my own. As for the movie, I thought we could just pick one together."<br>"Sounds good."  
>She was so calm and steady beside him, it seemed like a small wonder that once, she refused to even be in the same room as him. They had come a long way, and from here on out, the road would be travelled together. After so many years of solitary adventures, her company was more than welcome.<p>

They reached the restaurant soon enough and took seats at the window table Ando had reserved for them. He helped Rei out of her coat, but didn't pull out her chair. He always thought it was stupid, and simply refused to believe that any woman would like to be shuffled back to the table, careful not to bump her knees against it while her dinner companion shoved against the chair like a farmer against a stubborn cow blocking a road. A waiter brought them menus and they flipped them open simultaneously. Ando looked up just to see Rei peer at him from behind her menu. They both laughed.

"So, you're going to have a salad?"  
>Rei smiled. "Yes." There was an amused glint in her eyes that he wished he would get to see more often. More often as in every day. Once an hour would be good, too.<br>"What are you having?"  
>He raced his eyes over the menu, choosing randomly. "Chicken Vindaloo?"<br>She chuckled. "Don't ask me, I don't eat curry."  
>The waiter returned, bearing a small try with a bottle of water and two glasses. They were silent while the glasses were placed onto the table, the bottle opened and the water poured. Afterwards, they placed their orders and the waiter returned to the kitchen.<p>

"No wine?" she asked and Ando winced.  
>"Not today, if you don't mind. Takeshi and I were out last night and-" he trailed off and began to fumble for his cigarettes before he remembered that smoking was probably prohibited in here anyway.<br>"You got drunk with Takeshi?" she asked, not sounding half as surprised as Ando had expected her to.  
>"Yeah, I thought we should bond and I took him golfing and then after we bonded, we bonded some more by drinking. He has good taste in whiskey, gotta give him that."<br>Rei's face went blank and she toyed with her glass. Ando couldn't read her at all, the temptation of sneaking into her mind growing bigger and bigger with every other silent second. Had he disappointed her?  
>"He likes to drink," she finally said, and now it was Ando's turn to play with his glass and not say anything. Where had that come from? No accusation against his own wino tendencies, no "you got drunk the night before our date, shame on you", only the simple statement and a look that could mean everything and nothing.<br>"He does?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I hadn't noticed."  
>This time, he could read her face, read it like the printed pages of his favourite book. She was exasperated, but in a fond way. "Of course you wouldn't," she said and shook her head, smiling more to herself than at him. "It was before you had even arrived and while you were gone."<br>"Isn't that the same?" Ando asked, pushing an elbow onto the table and leaning his face onto his hand.  
>"No, Ando, before you arrived the first time. Sixteen years ago."<br>"Oh, then," he said, and felt a bit dumb.  
>"Takeshi is more of vodka man, if I remember correctly," she continued, "but taste does change."<br>"Not mine," he said, the words edged with meaning and sincerity and the kind of bravery that he only needed around her."I've liked the same things for sixteen years, and I don't see that changing."  
>He held her gaze and she was the one to break it, tucking some hair behind her ears, smiling down at the table. Were she another woman, she would have blushed, Ando was sure of it.<p>

* * *

><p>They left the restaurant without dessert, and instead took a bus to take them to Makoto's café. It wasn't part of the plan Ando had concocted for the date, but since he also thought he'd take Rei to get some of her favourite food and instead watched her eat a salad, he felt she deserved the best chocolate cake Tokyo had to offer, and that meant that the stop at Makoto's was a must.<p>

Since it was Sunday, Makoto herself wasn't there. She was with her husband and her kids, but her staff was well trained and the cake just as delicious as if the chef were present herself. Plus, it was nice to have the cake without being watched from behind the counter like a trained animal in a zoo.

"You spend a lot of time here," Rei said after taking a dainty bite of cake. She didn't make it a question.  
>"It's nice. Feels homey," Ando amended and leaned back into his chair. "I used to come here all the time before I left to travel, and old habits die hard."<br>"They do indeed," Rei answered, but didn't elaborate. He went up and got himself a refill and brought her another chai tea. She accepted it with a smile and added honey from the little pot that sat on every table. Ando watched her, and it reminded him of his coffee with Setsuna. Both women were graceful and poised and somewhat sharp.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Ando said and tilted his head. He relied on her opinion and since his return, she had been unequivocal in both her support and honesty.  
>"Of course," she replied and put her fork down.<br>"Setsuna. Is she a friend of yours?"  
>Rei narrowed her eyes. "She is one of us. Of course."<br>Okay, thin ice ahead, Ando thought. "And she is a nice person?"  
>"Yes."<br>"And you like her?"  
>"That should be clear from my previous answers. What are you asking, Ando?"<br>He searched for the right words, but couldn't find them. He couldn't tell her that he thought her friend was a mean bitch, and he didn't dare to mention the flashback to the Silver Millennium. He was afraid that if he did, it would take Rei and him back to square one, and he was pretty sure his liver couldn't take another year of heartbreak induced boozing. So he shrugged. "Just trying to get a feel for her. She is tricky to get to know."  
>It wasn't a lie. At least it wasn't a lie, he told himself, and switched the topic. "Did you already hear about Bones?"<p>

"Excuse me?" Her violet eyes were clueless, and he laughed. "It's how Hiro named the dog I got his daughter. Like the character in Stark Trek? Aiko wanted to call him Buttercup, but Hiro won out by letting her pick a pink leash."  
>"You got Aiko a dog?"<br>"Usagi's idea."  
>Rei groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ando, don't listen to Usagi. She and Minako believe that everyone needs to be as obsessed with pets as they are." As an afterthought, she added: "What did Makoto say?"<br>"Nothing while I was still in ear shot."  
>As he recounted little Aiko's glee and the tutus and Makoto's silence and Hiro's indulgent smiles, whatever tension had accumulated in that brief moment where he dared to question another senshi melted away.<p>

They wound up staying in the café until closing time, never even remembering that they were supposed to go see a movie. Instead they slowly walked back to the palace, a trip that should have taken no more than twenty minutes, but took another two hours instead. They paused at several small shops, buying some more hot drinks and sweets that they shared on the way. He learned that she had even more of sweet tooth than Minako and Usagi combined, and liked to be teased about it. He also learned that she preferred gummibears to chocolate and hated licorice.  
>All of this he learned as they ambled through a park and sat down on a bench, catching up with each other. They talked about the years between them and the years ahead of them, and about their friends and families. She laughed when he told her about his parents' poodle, and he smiled when he recounted how her mother had tried to cook for Rei when she was little and instead managed to set a pan on fire. Every once in a while, they held hands. Two hours went by in what felt like two minutes and eventually, the big palace came into view again. It stretched out above them, covering the sky and the stars and even the moon.<p>

Ando stared up at it and swallowed. "Don't tell Hiro, but I agree. It's a scary place." The tall crystal spires seemed to reach so far into the sky that they threatened to pierce the stars and shatter them as they had the many buildings across Tokyo. It seemed inconceivable that he now lived in one of those spires, far removed from the life beneath it.  
>Rei looked up, taking in the palace that blocked the view of everything behind it. "It is a big change for all of us."<br>Standing in front of the palace on her flat shoes, she looked tiny, breakable. If he could, he would have built her a house far away from this, a place that could be a home to her. But maybe she liked it here, maybe it didn't make her feel as tiny as it did him. Maybe it made her feel big, an important part of humanity's future. He didn't know, but he wanted to.  
>"Do you like living here?" The question tumbled from his lips and he watched her face as she answered.<br>She sighed. "Sometimes. I like being close to Usagi and I like that it's quiet here. And it's not as if I have anywhere else to go."  
>Ando reached for her hand. "I'm sorry about the temple,"<br>"Not your fault," she answered, her voice heavy. He could see the weight on her slim shoulders and hated it with a vengeance.  
>"Still," he insisted. "It must have been hard for you to see your home like that."<br>"That's the thing... It hasn't been my home in a long, long time. Not since-" she trailed off and Ando finished the sentence for her. "Not since your grandfather died."  
>She nodded, and reclaimed her hand, wiping away the tears that had snuck up her. She was still looking at the palace, her head held high. "Say something funny before I ruin our date by starting to cry."<p>

He didn't point out that she was already crying, and that as far as he was concerned, nothing could ruin an evening that he got to spend in her company. In fact, Ando didn't say anything at all. He just reached for her hand again and pulled her towards him. She came willingly and just as he placed his free hand on her hip, she rested hers against his chest. It was natural, completely in sync, the way it should be. The way it should have been many, many years ago. He could smell her perfume, heady and sweet. He could smell autumn in the air, but looking at her, felt spring in his bones.

"Sixteen years," Ando whispered and Rei smiled through her tears.  
>Her answer was a whisper too and it send a million goosebumps dancing over his skin. "And not a day more."<br>And with that, she kissed him, the palace looming behind them like an angry mountain.

* * *

><p>*** <strong>End of Chapter Four<strong> ***


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The_ sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>It was the evening before Minako Aino's birthday, and as such, the third Thursday of the month. This meant that in a nice French fusion restaurant in the city centre, two old friends, both clad in their best suits, met to have dinner and discuss the state of the world, which in a microcosmic, slightly self-centred, but ultimately true way meant the state of the relationships in their little group. Seeing how their little group basically consisted of the world's future leaders, the relationships among them were politically no less important than let's say the Kyoto Protocol or, you know, avoidance of world war three.<p>

"You are upset with me," Takeshi pointed out while pouring over the wine menu.  
>Mamoru rolled his eyes. "I'm not upset."<br>Over the menu, Takeshi arched a silver brow.  
>"Well, maybe I am," Mamoru conceded and reached for a piece of bread. He was hungry - he had eschewed lunch so that he could make it to the dinner on time. A twelve hour shift in the hospital on the basis of an early morning bowl of cereal - not good. There was a moment when he'd been afraid he'd faint in the OR and surely, they would have fired him for that. His attending was looking for a reason to get rid of him anyway, Mamoru was sure of it. It was the way Dr. Hizako was looking him: full of fear and mistrust. But who could blame him, watching your colleague create a palace out of thin air on the evening news must have been rather unsettling.<p>

"I take it is because of Ami?" Takeshi was still looking at him, his green eyes inquisitive and perhaps a bit worried.  
>Mamoru shrugged and shoved all thoughts of Dr. Hizako as far away as he could and focused his attention on his friend instead. "I just don't get why you won't apologise to her. She meant no harm, she did no harm, and she really took your criticism to heart." Ami was still holding the Mercury computer close to Usagi's head to scan her vitals at least two times a day, hovering over her like a fretful hummingbird. Usagi always swatted at the compact computer because the beeping annoyed her, but after a round of protest, let Ami run the tests anyway. It was rather endearing, Mamoru found, but Takeshi obviously didn't share the sentiment. The architect was frowning and holding his menu a little too tightly in his long fingers.<br>"She risked Usagi," Takeshi insisted stubbornly.

Now, being an orphan with a slight memory problem, Mamoru didn't know what it felt like to have a long discussion about safe and unsafe enterprises with stern and worried parents, but sitting opposite Takeshi right now did give him some kind of idea.  
>"She did not, Takeshi. Just speak to her. And to Umino too."<br>"Ando suggested something similar on Saturday."  
>Mamoru laughed. "Right, your golf game turned drinking extravaganza. I heard you had quite the hangover on Sunday."<br>Putting the menu down, Takeshi smiled. "A gross exaggeration. I might have suffered from a little headache, but that was purely because of the lack of sleep."  
>"Uh-huh," Mamoru answered and took a big bite of bread.<p>

After the waiter had taken their order (Mamoru chose the food and Takeshi the wine), the doctor reached for a second piece of bread.  
>"Hungry?" Takeshi asked and swirled his wine glass. The red liquid gleamed in the restaurant's soft light and excuded a lovely. A note of berries, just a touch. He'd have to get some bottles of this for his wine cellar, and perhaps another one or two for Makoto. She liked fine wines as much as he did and it would make a good Christmas present.<p>

Mamoru, having polished off a third piece of baguette before finally answering, leaned back and smiled. "Long day, little food. I thought I'd eat well tonight and better tomorrow on Minako's birthday, but she's not celebrating, is she? Usagi didn't mention an invitation."  
>"Minako suggested to just have a quiet night in," Takeshi said almost apologetically. Normally, his fiance loved nothing better than to have all her friends over for a big birthday dinner, but this year, she had tugged at his hand and smiled up at him and whispered "only the two of us, okay?" and Takeshi had been unable to deny her that small wish, even if it might mean affronting their friends.<br>"Well, that's nice too. Do you want us to take Attila?"  
>Takeshi chuckled. "No, thank you. He is fine where is he is."<br>"So what are you giving her?" Minako was very to easy to find presents for, Mamoru had always thought. If it was pink and girly, chances were that she would like it. It was the same with Usagi, only that with his wife, Mamoru always wanted to find the best present possible, whereas he was quite happy to just buy Minako the first pink, glittery thing his wife suggested.  
>Topping up Mamoru's wine glass, Takeshi smiled. "A journey to Egypt in January."<br>"Nice," Mamoru said approvingly, both to the wine and to the gift.  
>"I think it would be good, seeing something else." Takeshi fell silent and Mamoru watched his friend's eyes go dark. Takeshi was so startingly easy to read. Many people made the mistake not to look further than the clipped tones and stern looks, but underneath all of that, Takeshi was a man with as many emotions as everyone else. If one paid him even a modicum of attention, he was like an open book. Just one with tiny, obscure script, one that required a magnifying glass.<p>

"You really hate the palace, don't you?" Mamoru asked, his voice kind.  
>"I do not like it," Takeshi admitted, hands folded on the table. "Do you?"<br>"Not yet," Mamoru answered, "but at some point, I will. I have seen what it can become. This can be good, Takeshi, I promise. We just have to get there first."  
>"Of course," Takeshi said and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Mamoru sighed. Pity Ando had gone the "getting Takeshi drunk to cheer him up" route just a few days prior, otherwise he would have tried that himself. Unfortunately, as a doctor, he couldn't support excessive drinking twice in such short succession.<p>

* * *

><p>Minako was fast asleep when Takeshi returned from his dinner, and even faster asleep when he rose just five hours later to drive Mamoru to work. But Takeshi left a birthday card on the pillow, and a cake Makoto had baked especially for the purpose on the dining room table. It was a good thing Attila was trained so well, otherwise the tall dog would have licked all the icing off long before Minako even opened her eyes.<p>

Naturally, someone had to come and wake her at some point, and of course, Minako thought it was whom she had humorously taken to calling 'the unholy alliance' - Umino, Ando, and Usagi. Nobody would ring a bell so insistently, she was sure of it. Peeling herself out of bed, she reached for her pink robe and shuffled her feet into her slippers.

Yawning, she walked down the stairs and to the front door, pulling it open with a frown on her face. "It's forbidden to wake the birthday girl."  
>But it wasn't Umino, Ando and Usagi.<p>

It was a whole other kind of alliance.  
>Minako stood a little straighter and for the first time in many years, cursed her preference for Hello Kitty pyjamas.<br>"Haruka, Michiru."

* * *

><p>Ando and Rei were just having tea when his mobile beeped loudly. "Sorry," he mumbled, and reached for it. A text message from Minako. <em>Come here ASAP. Don't bring U&amp;U.<em>

They were sitting in one of the palace's many kitchens, having a small breakfast together. Granted, it was Ando's second breakfast, since he had eaten with Umino and Usagi before, but when Rei knocked on his door at nine and invited him to join her, he didn't want to say no. Well, couldn't say no, to be honest. Saying no to Rei Hino was something he was just not programmed to do which made the following only harder.  
>He scrunched his face up, offering Rei an apologetic smile. "I have to go."<br>She put her tea down. "Everything okay?"  
>"Don't know. It's Minako, she's asked me to come over."<br>Rei frowned, and he could tell she was just itching to snatch the phone out of his hand and to call Mina herself. But she did hold back, which he took as a massive sign of trust. "Call me if you need me," she offered, and Ando smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>He thought they might have dinner together, but when he came home around seven, Takeshi found the kitchen empty, the dinner table not set, and the birthday girl in simple jeans and t-shirt on the couch, Attila draped across her lap. An empty container of ice cream stood on the coffee table, and Takeshi noticed two spoons resting on his architecture magazine beside it.<p>

"The dog is not allowed on the couch," he said and stepped inside the living-room. Minako's head whipped up - she hadn't heard him coming. That was unusual, she normally prided herself on her good ears. But then again, she also dressed herself up whenever an opportunity presented itself and tonight, on her birthday, she was wearing jeans Takeshi had seen her paint walls in and a thin dark grey t-shirt that had holes where it had snagged inside the washing machine. Her hair was a messy bun on top of her head.

"Everything okay?" he asked, and stepped closer. The dog raised his head and soon after, its whole body, slowly dragging himself off the couch. A few years ago, Attila would have heard the BMW rolling onto the driveway and would have jumped off the couch and into his basket long before Takeshi had even turned the key in the lock. But the Great Dane was too old for that now; his hearing was getting worse with every passing day, and so where his hips. The vet hadn't been too happy with Attila last time he'd seen him and no vitamin supplements in the world could change the effect of old age.

So he watched while the dog climbed off the couch and then padded over. Takeshi bent down and petted him, rubbing him behind the ears, just as Attila liked it. Then he got up again and pointed to the doggie basket in the corner, and Attila walked over obediently, letting himself drop onto the pillows with a heavy sigh.

Minako had watched them with eagle-eyes and when Takeshi moved to come to the couch, she got up instead. She was not wearing a scrap of make-up, but her eyes stood out as if she had lined them with the black eyeliner she favoured so much. She had been crying: he could always tell.  
>She quickly closed the distance between them and snaked her arms around his neck. Her hands were cold on his skin. "Let's go upstairs," she whispered and moved to kiss him. The smell that clung to her was that of his shower gel, not her own.<p>

"Minako, what's wrong?" he asked against her lips, but she was not in the mood for talking. Pressing herself against him in a way that still, after so many years, made his head spin, she bit on his lower lip. "Takeshi, shut up." Her hand travelled down, tugging at his tie, until she had loosened the knot enough to pull it over his head. Her industrious fingers made short work of his white button-down next and by the time she reached for his belt, he had remembered that he too had hands.

He cupped her face, holding her still. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but not as much as he wanted her. There was something about her that had always made him leave his common sense at the door.  
>"You can't say no the birthday girl. It's against the rules," she whispered and smiled up at him. Her smile should have been wicked, and normally, she liked to follow up on a statement like this with a cheeky wink or naughty grope. But tonight, it sounded more like a dare than anything else and he made a point of not backing down on any challenges she threw at him, especially when they came with feeling her in his arms and pressed up against him.<p>

"Well, in that case, let's take this upstairs," he murmured and kissing her, lead them out of the living-room. This was his house - he could navigate every corner with his eyes closed, no risk of bumping into anything. Until Minako decided that upstairs was still too far away and used all of her weight to send them careening into the wall.

She broke away from him, and, taking a step back, pulled the thin shirt over her head, letting it drop to the floor in a completely careless fashion. Her bra went next, and Takeshi's throat went dry. By the time she had shimmied out of jeans and panties, he wanted nothing more than to take her against the wall, but it was her birthday and she deserved better. When she stepped towards him again, completely naked, he reached for her and lifted her up. Her legs snaked around his hips and like this, he carried her up the stairs and into their bedroom.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning found an unwilling Takeshi and a quiet Umino taking a walk in a forest outside Tokyo. It was unplanned, Umino had just appeared on Takeshi's doorstep and asked the architect whether he'd like to join him on a trip to a forest.<p>

Since the two men hadn't talked since before the transformation of the temple, Takeshi was happy enough to come along. He wasn't usually one for spontaneity, but not speaking to Umino was not a situation he was keen to prolong. So he quickly left a note for Minako (who was grocery shopping with Usagi), and then the two men were off.

Since Umino didn't have a car and Minako had taken Takeshi's BMW, the two of them took a train. They spent the journey in relative silence; their topics of discussion were not the kind that should be overheard by fellow travellers.

When they finally arrived at the small train station in the countryside, a soft drizzle had begun to fall. Takeshi pulled his collar up, and Umino rearranged his thick knitted scarf. Without a doubt, it was yet another gift from his grandmother. Takeshi had met her once, when Umino had taken him to Kyoto. The philosopher's family was nothing like his own, or even Minako's. Where he had few memories of his mother, seeing how she died when he was little, and the relationship with his father had never been anything but distant, he had briefly entertained the hope of finding a family in Minako's. Of course, that hope had been shattered after the very first dinner he had with the Ainos. Minako's father was a nice man, but Takeshi had a problem respecting people without backbone. As for Minako's mother: well... the two women were always so busy sniping at each other that it made establishing a connection absolutely impossible. Umino's family however... his grandmother was a warm and friendly old woman. She had made Takeshi feel at home right away, which was not an easy feet given the architect's reclusive nature. Umino's sister and brother too had been raised well: like his friend, they were kind and polite.

"I am glad you came by," he finally said, looking at the winding path ahead of them.  
>"Me too," Umino replied, and then sighed. "But you won't be for long, I'm afraid."<br>"Is this about Ami?" Takeshi's voice got several degrees colder immediately.  
>"No, it's not, but you do owe her an apology, Takeshi. She only meant well."<br>"We of all people know that the path to hell is paved with good intentions."  
>Umino shook his head. "I know you put Mamoru's and Usagi's well-being above everything else, but you should reconsider this. Now, let's talk about something else."<br>Takeshi stopped. "It's not like you to give up this easily."  
>"We have more important matters to discuss," Umino replied. The look he gave Takeshi made the architect's hair stand on edge. "Is Mamoru okay?"<br>Umino nodded. "But if things continue like this, he won't be for long. People are fearing him, Takeshi, and a fear like this leads to action. Violent action. We need to do something."  
>"And you have an idea? An idea you want to discuss with me, only me, in a forest?" Pieces began to slowly fall into place, but the complete picture was yet out of Takeshi's grasp. All he knew was that he wouldn't like it. "Does this have to do with Ando and his PR endeavour?"<br>"Yes and no. It has to do with us needing someone on the inside. We need someone in the government, someone whom people trust, someone who is reliable, and someone who can pave the way for Usagi and Mamoru."  
>Takeshi gave Umino a long, levelled look, one that made lesser men tremble, but Umino met it, unflinchingly, and it was Takeshi who broke eye contact first. Umino, Zoisite, the only one of them without blood on his hands. The only one who had been able to break Beryl's curse.<br>And that made him the only person whose opinion Takeshi could not ignore.  
>"Let's go back," the architect said, and when he turned to leave, his slumped shoulders told a tale of defeat.<p>

He dropped Umino off at the hospital, where the younger man set out to have lunch with Ami and Mamoru. Carefully weaving his car through the midday traffic, Takeshi drove past crystal spires, broken buildings, and finally, towards the palace. He parked his car in a side street, but did not bother to take one of the secret entrances. It had taken all of them shamefully long to find out that nobody ever noticed their comings and goings: the palace had a shield that just seemed to swallow them up, or draw the attention of eventual onlookers on something or someone else. The exact workings of the shield were a mystery as of yet, but Takeshi resolved to ask Ami to look into it. He might not approve of her actions, but she was without a doubt the smartest of them all.

Passing a few policemen (there were always some around to make sure that nobody touched the crystal, not to protect the building, but to protect the hapless citizens) and a number of tourists with big cameras, merrily clicking away, taking picture after picture, he was finally swallowed up by the shield and entered the palace.

He knew that he would find Minako here now. And he was right: his girlfriend was in one of the kitchens, sitting cross-legged on a table, watching Usagi shove food into an already over-spilling fridge.

"Hello," he said, and both women whipped around, laughter etched into their faces. Usagi promptly dropped the iceberg salad she'd been trying to wedge into the fridge.  
>"Oh, you scared me!" Usagi burst out with a big smile, and abandoned the fridge and the salad to give Takeshi a hug. Even though Minako was not much taller than Usagi, the princess always felt tiny in his arms, like a child he wanted and needed to protect.<br>Instead of greeting Minako with a kiss, as was their custom, he pulled up a chair and sat down. His heart felt heavy, he couldn't describe it any other way. He knew she would be all in favour of Umino's plan, would think it a brilliant idea.

"What's up?" Minako asked, the laughter slowly fading from her eyes.  
>Takeshi glanced at Usagi; he wouldn't discuss it in front of her. Minako rolled her eyes. "Hey Usa, do you think you could fetch me the book Ando was talking about earlier? If I barge in on him and Rei, he will probably set fire to my house or something, but if you do it, then it'll be fine."<br>Usagi, bending down to pick up the salad, giggled. "Like teenagers, those two. Do you need the book now?"  
>"Yes."<br>"Are you just using me to annoy them and don't care about the book at all?"  
>"Something like that."<br>"Isn't that a bit mean?"  
>"How often has Ando interrupted you and Mamoru since he got back?"<br>"Good point."Usagi pressed the salad into Takeshi's hands and took off, leaving Minako, still sitting on the table as if it were a sofa, and Takeshi, on the chair in front of her, alone.

Wasting no time, Takeshi looked up. "Umino wants me to go into politics. The ministry is putting together a task-force that is supposed to aid the government in finding citizen-appropriate ways to deal with the crystal. He thought an architect would be most useful there and that I could use it as a springboard."  
>"Springboard for what?"<br>"Run in an election, a seat on the city council, parliament. Who knows, he hasn't mentioned an end point."  
>"Do you want to do it?"<br>"Not even a little bit."  
>"Will you do it anyway?" Minako unfolded her legs and scooped closer to the edge of table, letting her dangling legs frame Takeshi. She took the salad out of his hands and carelessly tossed it aside.<br>"It's fulltime."  
>"So you couldn't work in your office anymore."<br>"No."  
>She was silent for a moment, and then slid off the table and onto Takeshi's lap. "It would be a good move," she said slowly, and moved to stroke his cheek. He caught her hand in his before her fingers touched his skin.<br>"Does it matter - at all - that I don't want this?"  
>Minako leaned forward, and Takeshi saw her face change. It went from loving to worried in seconds. "Takeshi, this is your duty. Yours and mine both. You know that."<br>"Sometimes I wish it wasn't."  
>"They come first. They always will, always have. We do what's best for them."<br>"What about what's best for us?"  
>"You once did what you thought was best for us, and it didn't end well. Let's do what's best for them, and then all of our happiness will follow. Just give it time. Don't- I mean, talk it over with Mamoru. I'm sure it will help."<br>"Oh," he said softly. "You think this is me backing out of my vows to Endymion. Again."  
>He got up, gently pushing her off of him in the process.<br>"Takeshi, you're getting this all wrong. I only meant-"  
>"I know perfectly well what you meant, Minako. Perfectly well."<br>"I only think- Takeshi, I have seen Crystal Tokyo, and I know that it can be great, no matter what people say. We just need to work to get there, all of us, together. And you're great, reliable. If you tell people that it's a good place, a safe place, they will trust you."  
>"Like you do?<br>"Yes."  
>"Then," Takeshi murmured, standing in the door frame with stopped shoulders, "we have a problem."<p>

* * *

><p>Whistling a cheery tune, Usagi bounded down the stairs. She was slowly learning her way around the palace; in the first few days, she had spent more time getting lost than even sleeping. She had been trying to reconcile the new palace with the one she had seen in the future, but try as she might, she simply could not follow the same corridors and find the same rooms. Of course, Usagi was the first one to admit that her sense of orientation wasn't exactly stellar, and during her stint in the future, she'd been more concerned with saving the world and Chibi-Usa than memorising floor plans. So whenever Usagi thought she just needed to walk straight ahead to find the more or less useless throne room, or take a left to find the future king's study, and instead found herself in some small flower-filled atrium or on a balcony, she shrugged, laughed, and called Mamoru to come fetch her. Or, after Umino, Ami, Rei, and Ando moved in, loudly shouted "Marco" until a friendly but exasperated "Polo" from somewhere sounded back and told her where she needed to go.<p>

But it was getting better these days, and after she had knocked on Ando's door, mischievous grin on her face, only to find it empty, she made her way back to the kitchen almost effortlessly. Three flights of stairs down, left, right, left, and then she was already in the right hallway.

Bounding into the kitchen with glee, ready to tell Minako all about her new superior orientation skills, Usagi skidded to a halt. Minako had her back to the door, and was methodically cleaning the fridge. She had already emptied it out completely, putting everything on the table with the freshly bought groceries. A small bucket with soapy water was on the floor beside her, and she was wiping the vegetable drawer with measured strokes. Now, if this were Makoto, then Usagi would just plop down at the table and tell her tale, but it wasn't. Usagi had known Minako for years, and the only time her friend voluntarily and diligently cleaned and tidied up was when she was feeling miserable.

"Where's Takeshi?" Usagi asked, her good mood dripping away like water from a melting ice cube.  
>"Gone home." Minako's voice was calm. She bent down and dipped the sponge into the water, then wringing it out, and dipping it in again.<br>"Mi, I was only gone for ten minutes and you're cleaning and he's not here. What's wrong? I thought we could have lunch together."  
>"I don't think Takeshi is feeling very hungry."<br>"And I don't think you really want to clean."  
>Minako snorted. "No, but I can, so this is what I'm doing."<br>"Why don't you just tell me what's wrong, and I'll make us a sandwich."

Minako turned around, a half-smile tugging at her lips. "Look at you, all domestic."  
>Usagi shrugged and grinned. "They call me the breakfast fairy; I am looking to widen my repertoire."<br>"Haruka and Michiru visited me on my birthday."  
>The grin slid off Usagi's face. "They didn't come to congratulate you, did they?"<br>"No. They came to 'talk some sense into me'," Minako snorted, drawing inverted commas into the air with disdain while the soapy water dripped from her fingers. "They believe that the shitennou should not be a part of Crystal Tokyo, surprise surprise, never heard that one before, and that they are the cause of all our troubles. Michiru has looked into her mirror, and is now convinced that because the shitennou were accepted back into our ranks, the future changed and the peaceful Crystal Tokyo that should have come to pass is not on the cards anymore. So basically, we are doomed."  
>Usagi crinkled her nose. "I don't believe that. I think it will be all better. Just look at Rei. If they would look at Rei and see how happy she is, then they couldn't believe the boys to be bad. Plus," she added with a confidence, "Hiro has dogs and kids and makes really good pancakes."<br>"I agree."  
>"He made pancakes for you too? Aww, that's nice. I like that you are getting along better."<br>"I was actually talking about the kids and dogs part and how this inherently makes him a good person. Annoying, but good. He never made me pancakes."  
>"And now Takeshi is feeling all guilty because of this? That's so silly."<br>"Usa, I haven't told him."  
>"Then what did you fight about?"<p>

"Umino has asked Takeshi to apply to join the governmental task-force that deals with the palace. Takeshi doesn't want to, but it's a good idea, and then we talked about duty and he was so weird, and I completely misinterpreted what he was saying, and insinuated that him not joining the government would be a mistake like-" Minako trailed off, and helplessly wrung the sponge in her hands, letting the water drip on the crystal floor.  
>"Like? Wait... like on the moon? Oh Minako, really! You know you can't say stuff like that to Takeshi!"<br>"I know! It just came out, and then he was gone, and now he thinks I don't trust him, which I do, but he's so tetchy about this stuff."  
>"So is Mamoru," Usagi said, and began to assemble the ingredients for a nice, hearty sandwich. "I don't even want to know how he will react to Michiru's and Haruka's warning. He'll probably drive over and try to stab them with his pointy roses."<br>Minako giggled. "I would pay good money to see that."  
>"Me too," Usagi admitted and then clapped her hands over her mouth. "I shouldn't say things like that. They're our friends too."<br>"Great friends they are: missing birthdays and christenings and weddings and house-warming parties, but hey, you can always rely on them to warn you about the apocalypse."  
>Spreading cottage cheese on two slices of bread, Usagi rolled her eyes. "We have Rei for that. If something were to happen, or had gone wrong, she would have told us long before Michiru even picked up her mirror. Do you want salmon or salami?"<br>"The salmon is for your and Mamoru for a nice Sunday morning breakfast, so save it for tomorrow. Just toss some lettuce on it, that'll do."  
>Blithely ignoring her friend, Usagi reached for the pack of sliced salmon and ripped it open. "Mamo has to spend the night in the hospital, so when he comes tomorrow morning, and I tell him about Michiru and Haruka after a 36 hours shift, I don't think he'll be in the mood for a romantic breakfast."<br>"Then don't," Minako said with a kind of quiet determination.

"What?"  
>"Don't tell him. And I won't tell Takeshi. Things are bad enough anyway, what's the point in upsetting them?"<br>"Mi, I don't know. I don't like secrets. We can't keep this to ourselves."  
>"We won't, I mean, we wouldn't. Ando knows."<br>"You told Ando, but you're not telling Takeshi? You're falling back into your old patterns." Usagi fixed Minako with a disapproving look. "Don't tell me you made him promise not tell Rei."  
>"Of course not. I didn't make him promise anything. Ando is a smart cookie, he knows how to deal with this sort of information."<br>"He will tell Umino."  
>"No, he won't," Minako answered, shaking her head.<br>Reaching for the salad, Usagi cocked her brow. The two girls stared at each other.  
>Minako winced. "Oh damn, he <em>will<em> tell Umino."  
>"Yup," Usagi said, and thinking of the nice salmon sandwich Makoto had made her last week, looked around the kitchen for more ingredients. "Now, tomatoes too?"<p>

* * *

><p>Night was falling, and at the heart of Tokyo, the palace glowed in the moonlight. From the outside, the three men looked up at the smooth surface, the shimmering crystal.<br>"You know, I know exactly where my window is supposed to be, but fuck me if I can find it," Ando said, hands in his pockets, cigarette dangling from his lips.  
>Beside him, Umino closed his eyes in mock exasperation. "The idea of protective charms is that you can't see anything, can't find out where the people you might want to attack are."<br>Mamoru reached past Umino and snapped the cigarette out of Ando's mouth, tossing it on the floor and then, for good measure, grinding it to pieces with his shoe.  
>"Hey, I was smoking that!" Ando complained.<br>"And I was operating on a man with lung cancer today."  
>Umino bumped his shoulder against Mamoru's. "Didn't go well?"<br>"He died on the table. That's why my shift was over six hours early," Mamoru answered, and glared at Ando. "So no more crap from you tonight."  
>"Is that a royal order?"<br>"Ando, one of these days, someone is going to punch you in the face," Umino pointed out, giving his best friend a reproving look while managing to look positively gleeful at the same time.  
>"Well, Takeshi has already done that oh what, like ten years ago? I'm still alive, and he's still a miserable bastard, so I don't think punching me does anyone any good. Or harm. Or anything. My point is, don't punch me."<br>Mamoru grinned. "I'm not going to punch you. I'm going to tell Rei on you."  
>Ando's face fell. "You wouldn't!"<br>"Of course I would. Umino, would I?"  
>Umino nodded serenely. "Yes, you would. Now, can we go inside? It's really late, and I want to go to bed. I don't understand why we have to stand out here anyway. Whose stupid idea was that anyway, sneaking out in the middle of the night?"<p>

"Mine," Ando said. "And I just wanted to talk to the both of you in private before you cuddle up to your respective wives."  
>"Girlfriend," Umino corrected. "And what do you need to discuss with us that Ami and Usagi shouldn't hear?"<br>"Minako had some visitors on her birthday."  
>"Who?" Mamoru asked, a sense of foreboding crawling up on him.<br>"Michiru and Haruka."  
>"And?" the doctor prodded, "what did they want?"<br>"The usual. The shitennou are bad, we will soon show our true nature, set fire to the world, kick puppies, yadda yadda yadda. But they had a new spiel too: because you accepted us back-"  
>"Which I have never regretted for even a minute," Mamoru interjected fiercely, causing Umino to smile.<br>"- that's very nice, and believe it or not, makes me go disgustingly warm and fuzzy inside, but is a little besides the point," Ando continued, "because you accepted us back, they believe the future, and by that they mean Crystal Tokyo, has changed irrevocably. Whatever you saw in your little time travel adventures, they don't think it's gonna happen. Michiru looked in some mirror or something. Very Brothers Grimm."  
>"I saw my wife encased in a crystal coffin, so really, if having all of you around can keep that from happening, then I'm not complaining."<br>"Agreed," Ando said. "Just wanted to let you know that the angry ladies still think we are mad, bad, and dangerous to know, but judging from how Minako took it, and by that I mean badly, I figured I better tell you two when Ami and Usagi are not around. They are sweet things, I didn't want to upset them. Now, let's get back inside, it's bloody freezing."

Mamoru and Ando began to move, but Umino did not. Instead, the philosopher stood still, looking up at the palace without blinking.  
>"Umino?" Mamoru asked, half-turning back towards his friend. "Are you coming?"<br>"Did Michiru say what exactly was changing?" Umino inquired, his voice oddly flat.  
>"Umm, I think she said 'everything'," Ando said. "Why, what's going on? What did I miss?"<br>And then Umino looked at Mamoru, and goosebumps rose on the doctor's skin. "You don't think-"  
>"I think," Umino said, dread crawling up on his ever-young face, "that 'everything' is more than the crystal coffin, and how the city was brought about. I think everything, Mamoru,-"<br>"-Don't say it," Mamoru whispered, suddenly understanding.  
>"-Includes your daughter."<p>

* * *

><p>***<strong>End of Chapter Five<strong>***


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. <em>

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Secrets are hard to keep. No one knew this better than Ando, who had made it his hobby to pry them from their owners, sometimes by tipping his head just so and smiling a slow smile (worked like a charm on the ladies), and sometimes by cracking a joke. He found that once the ice was broken, people loved to spill their secrets, sometimes even all of them at once. And if the head tilt and the jokes failed, then he had his excellent observation skills and the rather convenient mind-reading ability to fall back on.<p>

The only thing Ando had not known about secrets was that there were some that he'd rather not learn. Like that oh so minor detail about Mamoru's as of yet unconceived daughter.  
>"You're very silent this morning," Makoto said and peered at him over the counter.<br>"Am I? No, no, not really. I just thought I'd give you a break from my usual repertoire of bad puns and charming anecdotes. Build up a hype again, you know? Make you miss me." He winked at Makoto, laying it on extra thick because he knew she hated that and hoped it would make her leave him alone.  
>"You just returned after a fourteen year absence. If there was no hype then, then there won't be one now."<br>"You're a tough crowd."  
>Makoto rolled her eyes and greeted the new customer. Opening his paper again, Ando held it up as a shield. He wasn't really reading, he just needed Makoto not to look at him like- well, a mother. Mothers - the normal kind, not his own - had this ability to see everything, especially the things deviant children wanted to hide. Ando had witnessed the maternal deduction technique live in action while growing up, his friends always being cornered and brought to order by just one long look. Scary people, mothers. Good thing his own had always been more concerned with the poodle.<p>

Suddenly, a hand snuck over the top middle part of his paper and pushed it down, crinkling and wrinkling the pages as it did so. "Hey!" Ando exclaimed in protest, and glared at Makoto.  
>The senshi was glaring back at him.<br>"Where was Mamoru last night?"  
>"Whut?" Ando sputtered. Mamoru ought to have been in his bed, curled up next to his wife, having been delivered to his very door by Ando himself. And fine, Umino too.<br>"He was supposed to be home by three in the morning, with you and Umino fetching him from the hospital."  
>"We did!"<br>"Usagi just wrote me a text, saying he never got home and is now over at Takeshi's. Why is he at Takeshi's?"  
>"How the fuck am I supposed to know that? Maybe they have one of their special moments. Nothing to do with me," Ando replied, trying to lace his voice with righteous indignation. Damn his sorry stupid arse to seventy-seven kinds of hell. He had left the palace at seven in the morning to avoid Usagi, Ami and Rei because there was no way he could not tell them about Umino's theory and the Outers' warning, but he had not counted on Makoto actually working the early Sunday shift at her café. Wasn't she supposed to be home, minding her kids, dogs, and husband? Damn, damn, damn. So much for his genius plan.<br>"Ando... You better tell me, or else..."  
>"You'll add some quicksilver to my coffee?"<br>"Ando...," Makoto repeated, her usually so sweet voice dangerously close to a growl.  
>"You should talk to Minako. And then Umino. And then Mamoru. And then Usagi. In that order. But not to me because I don't know a thing, and also, the service here sucks, I'm leaving. Keep your delicious muffins and your tantalising coffee." He pushed himself off the bar stool, grabbed his jacket, scarf and scrunched up paper. A quick retreat, a fast exit. That's what was needed now. And a call to Mamoru fucking Chiba. What was that idiot thinking, not going home to his wife?<p>

Makoto stepped out from behind the counter and was blocking Ando's path so swiftly as if she'd teleported there. Eye-to-eye with Usagi's strongest and tallest senshi who was glaring daggers at him, Ando suddenly realised that Makoto could take him. Easily. Without breaking a sweat.

"Tell me _now_."  
>"You know, this whole housewife meets dominatrix thing really isn't for me. I mean, your kink doesn't have be my kink, but you know, you should really save this for your husband."<br>"If you don't tell me what's going on, I will call Minako and Mamoru. And Rei."  
>This rubbed Ando the wrong way, and just like that, Makoto's size and anger ceased to matter. "She's not a deus ex machina, Makoto," Ando stated, his voice as icy as Takeshi's. Rei was not a fucking gambling chip. "You don't get to use her to get me to do what you want. When I tell you to go ask Minako, I mean it."<p>

Face like thunder, Makoto glared at him and stomped back behind the counter, almost ripping the phone off the wall.

* * *

><p>Just as Minako rolled over in bed to reach for the ringing phone, sleep still in her eyes, Takeshi and Mamoru were sitting outside, on the small bench underneath the cherry tree in the garden. Mamoru was wearing a jacket of Takeshi's, and each man had a blanket draped over his legs. They'd been sitting there for over three hours, watching the night slowly give way to morning while the last of the October wind shook the yellow leaves off the tree.<p>

Mamoru had come here because he didn't know where else to go. He could not walk back into the palace, sneak inside his bedroom and crawl into bed with Usagi. Not when the return of his friends, which had been one of his most ardent wishes since he learned of their existence as a teenager, had risked his daughter. Usagi's daughter. Their daughter. Their future. The idea was still beyond comprehension: for over twenty years, his future had been set in stone, and suddenly, everything was different, all safety gone.

"It's not a given, but Umino thinks it's a risk. He thinks it's very likely. He thinks-" Mamoru's voice broke.  
>Takeshi cleared his throat. "I will talk to Setsuna today." Takeshi had taken the news calmly, had made Mamoru some coffee, reminded him to notify Usagi that he was here instead of going home, and had then guided his prince into the garden while Minako, dead to the world, slumbered upstairs in their bed. She hadn't even heard the door bell.<p>

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Mamoru nodded. "I need to talk to Michiru."  
>"If she does not cooperate, let me know."<br>Mamoru snorted. "And that will change what?"  
>Takeshi looked down at his hands, folded in his lap.<p>

"Sorry," Mamoru murmured, "that was low. It's just that-"  
>"I understand," the architect replied. A moment of uneasy silence passed. "When are you going to tell Usagi?"<br>"I don't know. After I've spoken to Michiru."  
>"We also need to involve Rei. Her psychic abilities might be of help."<br>"I don't think she makes use of them any more. Not since the temple fell apart. She only ever did it in front of the fire, I'm not even sure it's a senshi power, or whether it wasn't always a miko thing."  
>"I will consult her anyway."<br>"She will tell Usagi," Mamoru said, and a part of himself broke. Telling Usagi would make it real.

Behind them, the glass door slid open. Takeshi briefly closed his eyes, but did not turn around. Mamoru did. Minako was teetering on the threshold, her face full of sleep and worry. He met her eyes, and Minako shook her head. No, it was not him she wanted to talk to.  
>"Takeshi, a word please."<br>Mamoru turned back around, and he and his shitennou exchanged a look. The way his jaw was set told Mamoru that his secret was safe with his friend: Takeshi would not tell Minako, which meant that for a few precious hours, Usagi would not need to know. Not yet. Not while there was still hope.

* * *

><p>Somehow, he had made his escape from the café, sneaking out while a fuming Makoto barked into the receiver. Ando was now hurrying back to the palace. He needed to talk to Umino, and perhaps Rei. But mainly Umino. And then they would need to talk to Mamoru. They could not keep this thing a secret. It was his own fault, really. The second Minako told him about the Outers' visit, he should have insisted she tell everyone else too, but of course he thought he'd better only tell Umino and Mamoru. Just to keep them in the loop. He'd purposefully left out Hiromasa and Takeshi because those two were difficult enough to handle as it was. Add one more gram of guilt, and Takeshi might snap. Add one more gram of injustice and worry, and Hiromasa might explode.<p>

But not telling them had been a mistake. Mamoru had gone straight to Takeshi, even though Ando and Umino had safely escorted him back to his quarters. Sneaky bastard had just pretended to go to sleep, and then left as soon as his guardians' bedroom doors closed. It was like the fucking Silver Milennium all over again, only that this time, Endymion was not sneaking to Serenity, but away from her, and Kunzite wasn't trying to catch him, but waiting for him on the other side.

And if Takeshi knew, then proper protocol was soon to be initiated. Takeshi would talk to... who would Takeshi talk to? Ando stopped dead in his tracks as realisation hit him. Takeshi would seek out Michiru, Setsuna, and Rei. He would try to establish as much information as possible before calling for a meeting with everyone.

Part of Ando wanted to stop Takeshi because if he told Rei, and Rei learned that Ando was partly to blame for Usagi's daughter never coming into existence, well... Ando was not sure that their relationship was strong enough to survive this. But of course, he couldn't stop Takeshi. For one, Takeshi would not allow anyone to do so, and also, Ando would never be able to look into a mirror if he forged his happiness out of Usagi's and Mamoru's misfortune.

Turning a corner, he hurried towards the palace that was growing bigger and bigger with every step. He wondered how Minako would cope once she found out that the information she'd been sitting on for a week was such a powder keg. How Takeshi would react once he learned that Mina knew- "Oh fuck," Ando said, "fuck, fuck, fuck." Pulling his phone from his pocket, he punched in Minako's number.

_This is me. I'm busy or lazy or lazily busy. Leave me a message, I might call you back. _  
>Voice mail. "FUCK," Ando burst out, and broke into a sprint.<p>

* * *

><p>"What's going on? Usagi texted Mako to say that Mamoru was here. Why is he here, why isn't he at home?" Wrapped up in his own bathrobe, Minako looked tiny. Where it barely reached the middle of his calves, on her it went all the way down to her ankles. He loved it when she wore his clothing, and while he never stopped to complain about her stealing his shirts and washing them wrong, his heart always skipped a beat when he returned home at night and found her on the couch with their dog, wearing a button-down of his, or one of his cashmere jumpers.<p>

She looked up at him, alarmed. Seeing her this worried made him want to pull her close, whisper everything that was worrying him in her ear, so that they could find a solution together, but then he would tell her about Mamoru's daughter, and he couldn't do that. He couldn't risk worrying Usagi until they knew for sure that Umino's fear was founded on solid ground. Because Minako would tell Usagi. Minako told Usagi everything. But not him.

The fact that she had kept this from him stung. For a week, she had walked around with the knowledge of the Outers' warning, but had not mentioned to him. Not one word. Moments like these had been piling up lately, her not trusting him, taking her worries elsewhere, discussing her concerns with others while brushing his own away.

So Takeshi crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why didn't you tell me about the visitors you had on your birthday?"  
>Minako blinked. "What?"<br>Takeshi's green eyes held hers. "You heard me."  
>"I... I didn't want to worry you. You've been so on edge lately, and I..." Minako faltered and looked up at him. "Did they talk to Mamoru too? Is that why he's here?"<br>"No. But Ando," he laced the other man's name with disdain, "whom you have informed of the visit, has told him."  
>"Ah," Minako said. "Sorry?"<br>"Are you?"  
>Minako looked down at her bare feet. "Not really." And that was the crux. Minako always believed that when she was shutting him out, she was doing the right thing. As if he couldn't take it, was some weak creature one could not risk burdening.<p>

She sighed. "Let's drive Mamoru home. Usagi already knows about Haruka's and Michiru's warning, she doesn't care. Neither do I."  
>"Sometimes, Minako, you are remarkably near-sighted. Go back to bed, I will take care of this."<br>Despite himself, he bent down and placed a kiss on her temple. "Go."

She reached for his hand, holding it tightly. Stubborn and insistent, she clung to him. His skin was icy from having spent hours outside, hers was still burning from sleep.  
>"Don't make this into more than it has to be. One stupid warning. One stupid prophecy. I was told I would never be allowed to be happily in love, and yet we found each other again. Don't listen to Haruka and Michiru, don't brood. Let's take Mamoru home, and then we can have a nice day."<br>"Hmm. That's what you were told?" The way he looked at her, so completely accepting, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Takeshi..."

Prying his hand loose, he shook his head. "Mamoru needs me today. You will have to make other plans." He turned around and made his way back to the garden, sliding the glass doors shut behind him, leaving Minako on the other side.

Trapped behind the glass, Minako had to resist the urge to put her fist through it as she watched him sit down next to Mamoru again under the tree.

* * *

><p>In the palace, everything was quiet. Everything except for the kitchen, where Usagi Chiba, the world's worst cook, was currently trying to make a casserole. She'd mastered breakfast, but Sunday lunch, the burned casserole was insistently communicating to her, was still beyond her.<p>

"Usa?" Ami's sleepy voice interrupted Usagi's endeavour to save the casserole by dumping some more cream and water on it before shoving it back into the glowing baking oven. "It's seven-twenty. Why are you... is that lunch?"  
>Usagi turned around, a bright and slightly manic smile plastered all over her face. "Oh, Mamo didn't come home tonight, and I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd learn how to make a casserole."<br>Befuddled, Ami stepped inside the kitchen. It was pandemonium. On the stove, remnants of garlic and onions were still sizzling in a pan, a cloud of black smoke rising from it. The smell was horrible and stung in Ami's eyes. "Can we turn the extractor hood on?"  
>"The what?"<br>Ami pointed to the silver contraption over the stove. Usagi blinked. "Oh, that's not only there for the lamps?"  
>Where everyone else would have teased Usagi, Ami simply walked over and switched the extractor hood on and soon, after washing a pan or two, and opening a window, the stinging smell of burnt garlic began to dissipate.<p>

Working around Usagi, who was still adding things to the casserole, unwilling to believe it was too far gone to save, Ami made coffee and set the table for two. Umino was still asleep anyway, Rei never came down to this kitchen for breakfast, which only left Ando, who would be quite happy to get his own mug and plate. Ami found that the journalist was surprisingly pleasant to live with. He was easy-going most of the time, went out of his way to be nice to Usagi and herself, and Umino loved having him around.

Things had changed since Ando's return, and Ami was one of the few who whole-heartedly felt that it was for the better. The changing city was scary, but ever since she and Usagi had transformed (and thus repaired) the temple, and a few other buildings since, Ami felt that they were heading in the right direction. She remembered the glimpses of Crystal Tokyo from the future; even in times of destruction, the city had exuded a quiet sort of hope. The crystal was such a fascinating substance, so astonishingly easy to mould, its areas of application limitless. They could create buildings out of thin air, could pave roads and build bridges. And then there was the potential for it to heal. She hadn't spoken about it to anyone, no yet, but Ami was sure that if in the future, the crystal could be used to protect Serenity from Nemesis, there must be a way to make use of those protective qualities in medicine. She had already taken some smaller samples of the crystal, chipped from a wall somewhere in a tower, and had begun to analyse them under the microscope. Tomorrow, she would get some diseased cell samples from the hospital and mix them with the crystal. If she was right, then they could use the crystal to fight all sort of diseases-

"Ami?" Usagi's voice brought her crashing back to reality.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Did Mamoru say something to you? Why he didn't come home last night and went to Takeshi's?"  
>Ami blinked. "No, I didn't even know he went anywhere but here. Last thing I knew was that Umino and Ando came to fetch him from the hospital round three."<br>"Oh. Okay. Well, he'll be here in time for lunch, right, and then we can eat... this." She nodded in the direction of the casserole, and Ami winced. "Usa, when it's burnt like this, it's full of toxins. It's not healthy."

Staring down at the casserole as if it had transformed into a dead kitten, Usagi's eyes welled up. "I just wanted to make some lunch," she whispered, and the first big tear dropped onto the crystal floor, soon to be followed by another one, and another one, until all Ami could do was to reach out and pull her friend in for a hug. "Usa, we can make a new one together. It's fine."  
>Sniffling, Usagi shook her head. "You can't cook either, Ami, and we're out of cheese."<br>A voice from the door interrupted the sad scene.  
>"Easy there, waterworks. Umino can cook, even without cheese. Ami, go wake him, he'll help."<br>It was Ando, red-faced, slightly sweaty, and a bit out of breath.

Always more used to taking orders than giving them (unless a medical emergency was at hand), Ami let go of Usagi and went to wake her boyfriend, an almost impossible endeavour before ten in the morning, but if Usagi was crying, and all that could make her stop was preparing lunch for the mysteriously wayward Mamoru, then lunch they would make.

Watching Ami leave, Ando remained in his place in the doorframe for a few seconds longer before shedding his jacket and scarf and moving into the kitchen. He'd planned to talk to Umino, get him to call Takeshi, and then take it from there, but a crying Usagi kind of ruined that plan. Hell, a crying Usagi ruined _any_kind of plan. Was she crying because her husband didn't come home, or because she knew about her daughter? One thing was for sure, it was not because of that damn stinking casserole.

"What's going on, breakfast fairy? Too early for lunch anyway," he said in a vain attempt to console her over something that probably didn't bother her anyway.  
>Still crying big tears, Usagi tried to smile at him, and failed. "I know." She wore her hair in pig-tails again, which made her look even younger, and with all the tears, sadder too.<br>"Oh, come here, you," Ando said, and Usagi went in for the hug. Stroking her back like he'd seen Makoto stroke Aiko's after she bruised her knee last week, he held his prince's wife. "What are you really crying about? Mamoru not being here?"  
>Usagi nodded against his shoulder dug her hands into his back.<br>"He's at Takeshi's. You know Takeshi. He'll take care of him."  
>"Something's wrong," Usagi murmured, and Ando could feel her tears soaking his shirt. "It's because of Michiru and Haruka, isn't it?" Her voice was muffled, and she sniffed.<br>Ando pushed her a bit away and looked at her. "You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for, you know that?"  
>That brought a tiny smile to Usagi's face. "Yeah."<br>"So you know about Michiru and Haruka?" His beart began to beat faster. She might know about the prophecy, but he doubted she had cottoned on the child-in-danger-part. And that was when Ando realised, at 7.29 in the kitchen on the ground floor of the scary crystal palace on the last Sunday of October, that he would have to be the one to tell her. He couldn't lie to Usagi. He couldn't.

He would be the one to tell her. And Mamoru would hate him for it.

* * *

><p>The drive to Setsuna's penthouse in the city centre was a quiet one. Takeshi easily navigated the BMW through the empty streets of Tokyo, eyes always on the road, indicating left, right, left. Some streets still looked completely normal, but others were changed. Crystalline spires were adorning them more often than not, a constant reminder of all that had gone wrong. Mamoru looked out of the passenger window, but as the city raced past him in a silver blur, he found his mind wandering.<p>

For weeks, he had been telling Takeshi not to worry, that everything would be fine, to keep their eyes on the prize. He should have known that something was wrong when his lead shitennou so stubbornly insisted on doom all around them. In the past, Kunzite's instincts had always been excellent. He could smell trouble from months and miles away, and in all the years they had been friends, both in this life and the last, Mamoru could think of only one instance when Kunzite's instincts had been proven wrong.

This instance had of course been catastrophic beyond belief, and to this day, Mamoru refused to so much as waste one minute remembering his men turning on him. He had forgiven them, and like Usagi's, his forgiveness was absolute. He had just never expected it to come with a price tag.

He had turned into a man with the belief in Crystal Tokyo already firmly in place, had met his daughter when he himself was still a boy at 18. Chibi-Usa was such a big part of their lives, and a part of him had been waiting for years to finally meet her in her own time. But since the shitennou had awoken, the princess had not been seen. Of course, Mamoru and Usagi had broached the subject with Setsuna, but the senshi of time had patiently explained that Small Lady's time-travelling adventures had been the exception, not the norm, and now that the girl's parents were no longer battling Nemesis, it was only to be expected that she stayed put. Mamoru had accepted it without doubt: he wanted Chibi-Usa to be safe, and time-travelling was dangerous. So much could go wrong, one could so easily loose oneself in the mists of time and space. One step out of place, one dropped time key, and that was it. It had been a relief to know that Chibi-Usa was safe and thus assured, he had begun to live a life with his men in it.

A red light brought them to a stop.  
>Takeshi cleared his throat. "Do you think Setsuna would be willing to travel to the future to make sure that your daughter is alright?"<br>Would she? Time and time again, Setsuna Meioh had told them that the future was not their business, that the gate needed to remain shut, that the road ahead was not yet their concern. But if she would make an exception for anyone, it was for Chibi-Usa. She loved the child as if she were her own. "I hope so."

* * *

><p>He took her hand and guided her to the table. Usagi sat down, and Ando looked around the kitchen, with its messy bowls and pots and pans everywhere. "Umm, do you want me to make you a cup of tea?"<br>She sniffled. "No."  
>"Chocolate?"<br>She shook her head again.  
>"Ice cream? Pancakes? Want me to steal you a pony somewhere?"<br>Her bottom lip began to tremble.  
>"I could take you to Mamoru, you know? I have a pretty good idea where he's going, we could take Ami's car and-"<br>Wiping the tears away - a futile endeavour, since new ones immediately took their place - Usagi looked up at him, big blue eyes pleading. "What didn't Minako tell me about Haruka's and Michiru's visit?" There really was no way out of this.

Sighing, Ando pulled a chair over and sat down, reaching for Usagi's hands once more. Damn. He hated this. Hated this more than anything, more than his parents, more than the horrible first two years in Tokyo, more than every single fucking birthday his parents had forgotten over the years. Hands down, this was the worst experience of Ando Tanaka's life.  
>"Minako told you everything she knew. And from what I've heard, the Outers told her everything too, but neither Minako nor them connected all the dots." He paused, trying to find the right words. It's what he did, dressing up ugly truths in beautiful language, but today, this talent failed him.<br>"I don't understand," Usagi whispered, clinging to his hands.  
>"They said that everything would change. And Umino thinks that everything," he swallowed, but the lump in his throat stayed put, and grew with every falling tear of hers, "everything might include your daughter." Her eyes went wide, and she ripped her hands back as if his words had burned them. "No. No that's not possible. He's wrong. I've seen her. I've seen the future, Ando, I know she's there."<p>

A bottle of whiskey. A line of blow. A happy pill. Being hit over the head with a brick. Anything, anything at all to make this moment stop, but the only thing within reach was the burned casserole. She was crying, and shaking her head. "I've seen her, seen her so many times. She's fine. Umino is wrong."  
>Hating to be the one to twist the knife, selfishly wishing it could be Takeshi doing this, he continued, his voice almost a whisper. "When you were in the future, did you see us?" If she'd seen only a glimpse of the shitennou, just the shadow of Kunzite, Nephrite's back disappearing into some sort of secret hallway, Zoisite's eyes on the other side of a bookshelf, then they'd be okay. Just one trace of a grey uniform. If they were a part of that future, however small and hidden, then her daughter was not at risk, was fin-<br>"No," Usagi whispered. "Never," and crumbled into his arms.

* * *

><p>There were few people who were already awake, dressed, and hospitable even before eight o'clock on a Sunday morning. Takeshi was not even a little bit surprised that Setsuna was one of them.<p>

"Take a seat," the senshi said and led them into her spotless living room. Grateful, Mamoru sank into a black leather armchair, while Setsuna walked through a door leading to her kitchen, heels clicking on the white marble. She was dressed in precisely the kind of expensive and simple clothing Minako abhorred, Takeshi noticed. A cream jumper, black pants, black heels. No jewelry. As he surveyed her living room, he found that the tasteful and reduced style she favoured in her clothing was also dominant in her furniture. Chrome and glass, clear lines, no fuss. In fact, except for the large watercolour painting of a rose-covered pond mounted on the wall, everything looked more or less like his old bachelor apartment, the one he had lived in before he met Minako.

"She won't do it," Mamoru murmured, and looked up at Takeshi, who was still standing in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets. Mamoru had not even taken of jacket and scarf, and Takeshi too was still wearing his trench.  
>"You don't know that," the architect replied. His attention was caught by the sound of a clock ticking somewhere, the only sound that resonated in the room other than his friend's subdued voice. It was so quiet here. No radio, no television, just silence and the sound of a clock. "It's not like you to be so defeated before the battle has even begun," he gently reprimanded Mamoru, thinking back to the many rousing speeches he had heard the younger man give over the years.<br>"That's because it's already over."

Takeshi turned to Mamoru, denial already on his lips, but then the kitchen door swung open, bringing their conversation to a halt. Setsuna was carrying a tray, laden with china and a few sandwiches.  
>"Here, let me," Takeshi offered and took the tray from her hands, setting it down on the coffee table. "Thank you," Setsuna said, and began to set the delicate china cups on the table. They were white, only adorned with a single silver line round the top. With a steady hand, she lifted the matching teapot and filled three cups. "Sugar, milk?"<br>Both men shook their heads.  
>Handing Mamoru cup and saucer, while motioning to Takeshi to please help himself, Setsuna sat down on the couch. "I take it this is about Michiru's vision?"<br>"You know about that?" Mamoru asked, the worry momentarily fleeing his features. If she knew and hadn't said anything, then they were fine. They were fine.  
>"She wanted me to go to Minako with her," Setsuna replied and took a sip of her tea. "I did not." Her eyes met Takeshi's, who was still standing beside the armchair in which Mamoru sat. "I hope Michiru was not too rude to you. She's acting in Usagi's best interest, but she sometimes chooses the wrong tone."<br>"I wasn't home."  
>"Oh," Setsuna said, arching a brow. "I was under the impression Michiru delivered her message on Minako's birthday."<br>"She did. I was working."  
>"I see," Setsuna replied. "And the two of you are here today because...?" Her voice trailed off, and she tipped her head to the side.<br>"Can you check that everything is well in the future?" Takeshi asked calmly.  
>The senshi put her cup on the saucer. Mamoru scooted closer to the edge of the armchair, every muscle in his body once more tense with fear.<br>Even though Takeshi had asked, it was Mamoru the senshi addressed her response to. "Mamoru, you know the answer to that. This is not how it works. I guard the gate, not the future itself. If you want to know whether anyone has trespassed, then the answer is no. All is quiet."

"Umino thinks Chibi-Usa is at risk," Mamoru said in a low voice.  
>That got Setsuna's attention. She turned to Takeshi, just a hint of worry in her unusual red eyes. "Explain."<br>"Michiru argues that our inclusion in Crystal Tokyo changes the genesis and structure of the city and Umino believes it consequently may have an impact on everything that is a part of it. Including Mamoru's daughter."  
>"So you are afraid she will- she will never be born?" In the kitchen, the clock stopped ticking.<br>Feebly, Mamoru nodded.

"But I take it that all of you have met the child at some point. If she came from the future and travelled to what is now the past, then her existence must be safe, correct?" Takeshi asked, taking on a tone of authority.  
>"Time is not linear. I...," Setsuna took a deep breath. "It's very complex."<br>"Try me," Takeshi replied dryly. "I can assure you, both Mamoru's and my mental faculties are rather advanced."  
>"If they met Small Lady in the past, then that was because it was a past that contributed to her existence. But if the... let's call them ingredients, if the ingredients change, then the outcome will be different. The future is never set in stone, and every minute, a new possibility arises. All those possibilities exist up to the point where present becomes future. Only then is the outcome fixed."<br>Mamoru looked at his feet. "So we only met the possibility of her?"  
>"Yes."<br>"But from what I understand, you too have seen the child. In the time she belongs to," Takeshi insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
>"I did, but if I were - and I am not saying I am going to - travel to the same point in time now, everything might be different. She might be there, she might not. I could meet her today, but if I were to set off ten minutes later, something might have changed, one element out of a million, and everything is different."<br>"Can all elements change and the outcome still remains the same?"  
>"Are you asking me about destiny, Kunzite?"<br>Takeshi flinched.  
>"Destiny is fickle. Time is fickle. I cannot give you the absolution you seek."<br>His jaw clenched. "I am not seeking anything."  
>"Oh, I think you are." They looked at each other, a million unspoken words hanging in the air, but then Setsuna broke away and turned to Mamoru. "Take my advice: talk to Michiru. But talk to her alone, and be aware that there are no guarantees."<br>Mamoru nodded and got up, walking out without another word. Takeshi remained behind.

"So you do not believe in guarantees," he said slowly, pulling the car keys from his pockets.  
>"No, I do not." Brushing imaginary crumbs of her pants, she refused to meet his eyes.<br>Thoughtfully, he nodded. "Is that why you took Ando back?"  
>"He told you." Setsuna sounded surprised.<br>"You terrified him."  
>Her head shot up. "He is too bold. Too keen to move forward, not aware enough of his past." For the first time, she seemed angry, Takeshi noted, her iron control slipping. But the moment passed, and her face became smooth once more. "I would never need to take you back," she continued, and there was pity in her eyes. "Because you never left."<br>"You could argue that a man who spent two years drunk because of what he did in the past could not possibly be any more of aware of his own guilt," Takeshi replied in a level voice, but Setsuna thought she saw his eyes soften. There was an understanding between the two of them, but it would be disloyal to discuss it.  
>"Drunk, yes. Aware, no. He needed to be... paused. For just a minute."<br>"Next time, I would appreciate it if you would come to me before handling one of my men like that."  
>Setsuna smiled. "And here I was, thinking you were just an ordinary architect, with no men to speak of."<br>Sighing, Takeshi made to leave. "I wish I was. Thank you for the tea."  
>"I'll take you to the door." She rose from the leather couch, all grace, and walked behind him. "Do keep me informed. And thank you for telling me about the temple's resurrection. I take it Usagi is well?"<br>He looked over his shoulder. "Until we tell her about her daughter, Setsuna."

* * *

><p>If there was one thing Umino Kiichi hated, it was being woken early. He loved to sleep. Always had. Ten hours, twelve hours, fourteen hours: he could never get enough. So when Ami stroked his cheek, whispering it was time to get up, he opened one eye, squinted at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and pulled the heavy blanket over his head.<br>The mattress dipped and the blanket was pulled away. "Usagi is crying, you need to teach her how to make lunch."  
>"'s it lunch time already?" he murmured, this time opening both eyes to peer at the clock. "Ami, 'sn't even eight." She waited a moment, knowing that even the most brilliant of minds needed a moment before it started to fully function. "Wait, what?" Umino finally said, and pushed himself into a sitting position. "She's crying? Why? Did Mamoru tell her?"<br>Ami frowned. "Tell her what? He didn't even come home last night."  
>"About Chibi-Usa. And what do you mean, he didn't come, he came home. Ando and I picked him up round three, he even got home early. He's not here?" Umino blinked, and rubbed a hand over his face. "Where is he?"<br>"At Takeshi's. What's with Chibi-Usa? Is she okay? Has she come for a visit?"  
>Umino's face fell. "Oh, Ami."<p>

* * *

><p>Stepping out of the shower, Minako reached for a towel and dried herself off. Not bothering to brush her wet hair, she simply put it in a tight bun on top of her head and hurried into her bedroom. Closet doors were thrown open, and for once, she just picked the first items that fell into her hands. Yesterday's bra, some clean panties sitting on top of the basket full of fresh but wrinkled laundry, the jeans she'd worn to walk Attila ylast night, the pink jumper from the first clothes hanger in reach, and that was it.<p>

Her purse was still downstairs, as was her leather jacket and the ballet flats she slipped into. She'd forgotten a scarf, she realised belatedly, but that didn't matter now, no time to run back up. Only when she barrelled out onto the driveway did she realise that Takeshi had taken the car.

Turning on the spot, Minako cursed. Something was wrong, and if Takeshi wouldn't tell her, someone in the palace would. She just needed to get there first. Forcing herself to think, she went through her options. She could transform and hurry over the roofs. In broad daylight. She winced. No, not that. Someone could see her. She could transform and teleport! That would be quick, but also exhausting, and it would set anyone who ran into her in senshi form unnecessarily on edge. But then again, Mamoru and Takeshi clearly already were, Makoto had sounded positively livid over the phone, and Ando's missed call from 7.16 didn't bode well either. A cab or teleportation.

With a colourful curse, Minako hurried back inside, pulling her henshin wand out at the same time as her keys.

* * *

><p>Following Mamoru's directions, Takeshi sped down the highway. The Outer's mansion was outside Tokyo, and from what he had heard over the years, naturally never having been invited himself, it was practically an estate. They used to live in skyscrapers adjacent to the one Setsuna had her penthouse in, but had moved once... once he, Hiromasa, Umino and Ando appeared. Takeshi hated the idea of having driven two people away who had provided such an excellent protection system for Mamoru and Usagi over the years, but all efforts to reconcile the Outers with the shitennous' return had failed. And efforts there had been many.<p>

Mamoru had already called Michiru by the time Takeshi had exited Setsuna's building, alerting her that he was coming. "You'll have to stay in the car," Mamoru repeated for the third time. "I'm sorry."  
>"It's fine," Takeshi said, and looked over his shoulder before overtaking the lorry.<br>Noticing the blinking sleek black mobile on the wood-lined console, Mamoru picked it up and flipped it open. "Minako tried to call you twice. And so did Ando."  
>Takeshi snorted. "Ando called because he just realised that he should have informed me of the prophecy the second Minako told him about it."<br>"It bothers you, doesn't it?"  
>"My fiancée telling her friend instead of me? Yes, it does."<br>"Not only that. Also that they... it used to be different among you. You were their leader."  
>Under normal circumstances, Takeshi would have ended the conversation right here. But every second that Mamoru did not sit in torment over his daughter was one Takeshi sought to prolong. He could do so little to ease Mamoru's worries, but he could distract him. Even if that meant discussing the state of the shitennou.<br>"I have done very little to assume that position again."  
>"I know. You need to understand, Ando and Umino will be always turn to each other first. That's nothing new." It was true. Even in the past, the two blond men were always in cahoots with each other. One knew everything about the other, and even though the ability to read minds was Jadeite's alone, there had never been a single thought in his head that Zoisite wasn't privy to.<br>Gripping the steering wheel a little harder, Takeshi side-eyed Mamoru. "I wasn't exactly in favour of it then."  
>Mamoru shrugged and smiled. He fondly remembered many an afternoon when Kunzite had stalked through the castle looking for Zoisite and Jadeite, who, of course, had disappeared to Elysion hours ago. They had a special hiding place somewhere in the magical land, but Kunzite had never found it, had never been able to drag them back. More than once, the prince had wondered whether the land didn't shift around the two culprits, hiding them from view. Elysion was benevolent like that, at least if it liked those wandering its meadows. Also, it played favourites, and unfortunately for the commander of the shitennou, he had never been one of them.<p>

Takeshi changed to right lane again. "But you still come to me first, and I am inclined to think that this matters more."  
>Stretching his legs (glad that the X5 allowed for such spacial luxury), Mamoru leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. "Hiro comes to you first too. Don't let him hear that it means less to you."<br>"I know."

The land raced past, and more and more green took the place of buildings, and the further they sped away from the city, the less crystal was to be found. Fir trees dominated the landscape, tall and green and unchanging. Here, you almost couldn't tell that autumn had long since started, were it not for the odd leaf-bearing tree peaking out between firs, leaves golden, russet, and falling. You also couldn't tell that just fifteen miles behind them, a crystal rose to cover the city.

"If you want them to see you as their leader again, then you will have to-" Mamoru stopped as suddenly as he had begun. There was no way to phrase it that Takeshi wouldn't take as either insult or criticism.  
>"Act like it?"<br>"Well, yes." So much for that.  
>"Don't worry, I will. Umino saw to that."<br>Mamoru frowned. "I'm not following."  
>"You're sitting in the car with the head of the Crystal Tokyo Citizen Taskforce."<br>"You sound excited," Mamoru replied and grinned.  
>"Oh, utterly. I am in rapture." Only one person. Only one person in the world for whom Takeshi would make light of his misery, and that person was sitting in the passenger seat.<br>"So is this your new hobby? You will go to meetings in the evening, hand out flyers on the weekend? I have a hard time imagining that." Mamoru chuckled.  
>"It will be a bit more demanding than that, but I am afraid that at some point, flyers and evening meetings will be involved."<br>"That's Umino's payback for making Ami cry." Mamoru was still grinning when he spotted the exit sign, thus missing the dejected expression that flitted over Takeshi's features for a second.

* * *

><p>Ando wasn't in his tower room. He also wasn't in Ami's and Umino's bed with the two of them plus Usagi, having breakfast. Changing back into her civilian form, Minako felt more and more nervous with each room she peeked in only to find it empty. Usagi's and Mamoru's apartment: nothing. Throne room: nothing. Round room: nothing. Minako decided to try the kitchen they'd been in yesterday next, and then head to Rei's quarters. There was no way in hell Rei would let everyone into her living room at the same time, wreaking havoc, but they had to be somewhere.<p>

"Minako?"  
>Minako whipped around, only to find herself eye to eye with Rei, dressed in yoga clothes. "So not in your room, then," she murmured, and Rei frowned. "Who?"<br>"Everyone."  
>"I think they are in the kitchen."<br>"Let's go then. And Rei, I have to tell you something. Michiru and Haruka-"  
>"Ah, so that was why Ando had to come to you on your birthday," Rei interjected, and Minako nodded, while dragging the former priestess down the corridor by her elbow. "Minako!" Rei protested, but the blonde ignored her.<br>"Yes, yes, that's why. They came over with some sort of prophecy, pretty much the usual, and I told Ando and Usagi and didn't make much of it, but now everyone is freaking out and Mamoru didn't come home last night because he was sitting under my flipping cherry tree with Takeshi, all weight of the world on his bloody shoulders, and something is up, and we're going to find out what that is!" Minako was picking up more and more speed, until both women broke into a soft run.  
>"This is ridiculous," Rei snapped, and snatched her elbow back, skidding to a stop.<br>"Rei, move!"

"Minako, if anyone were in mortal danger, they would have called us. And I refuse to run through the palace for anything but life-threatening emergencies. So we will walk." Rei gave Minako a disapproving look (one that reminded Minako of her _mother_ and _manners, girl, manners_) and set a normal pace. Fuming, Minako followed her. "So you don't know what's going on either?"  
>"Clearly, I do not, since neither my boyfriend-"<br>"Aww, that's the first time I heard you call him that," Minako said, a genuine smile blooming on her face.  
>"- since neither my boyfriend nor my friends see fit to tell me that some sort of prophecy has been made," Rei continued pointedly. "And I would just like to say that Michiru's mirror is anything but failsafe. Visions of the future, any vision, by anyone, is always tinted by how the receiving person sees the world."<br>"I didn't know that."  
>"You never asked."<br>"Do you still have visions, Rei? Did you see our future? Is it a good one?"  
>They turned a corner, and Rei held an arm out to stop Minako. "Do you hear that?"<br>Minako pricked her ears. "Usagi. She's crying."  
>And just like that, in a palace, in a non life-threatening emergency, Rei Hino broke into a run.<p>

* * *

><p>"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice," Mamoru said grudgingly. Michiru, clad in a white silk dressing gown, her aquamarine hair piled up on top of her head with only a few loose curls escaping, shrugged delicately and examined her perfectly manicured fingernails. Even at this ungodly hour, she was wearing a diamond ring and matching earrings. "I expected you earlier than today."<br>"What did you see?"  
>Michiru craned her head in the direction of the large window. "Did you leave your guard dog at the door?"<br>"Don't go there, Michiru, not today," Mamoru almost growled, his patience at an end, "just tell me what you saw."  
>The musician sighed dramatically and turned back to him. "If I tell Minako that the future is at risk, and that our peaceful world will never be because of your <em>friends<em>, what do you think I saw?"  
>"Did you see my daughter in the future?"<br>Michiru crossed her legs, holding the dressing gown shut with one hand. "No."  
>Mamoru closed his eyes. "This is bad."<br>The senshi of deep waters began to laugh, soft, tinkling and full of disdain.  
>"How is this funny to you?" Mamoru shouted and jumped up. "This is my daughter, Michiru, MY DAUGHTER!"<p>

"You are worried about one child? One? Oh, you foolish, silly man. It's not just your daughter that's at stake here, it's all of us." She got up and walked to a small drawer at the other side of the room. "For years, we have warned you. Warned you that they are harbingers of doom, bringing nothing but destruction, but you never listened."  
>Michiru pulled open one of the drawers, and returned with the Deep Aqua Mirror. "Well, it's time you saw for yourself." The glass was already swirling with images, red, and black, and grey.<br>"Here," she handed it to Mamoru, who took it with dread.  
>"Now look," she said, waving her hand over the mirror, and the colours took shape.<p>

_Smoking crystal columns. Fallen towers. The ruins of a palace. Tanks barrelling over the living and dead alike.  
>Somewhere in the distance, an explosion.<br>"Venus! VENUS, come here, HERE!" Jadeite, waving like a madman. And Venus running towards him, blood on her face. "I couldn't find her!"  
>Jadeite reaches out and roughly pulls Venus into the sidestreet he is hiding in. Bombs begin to rain down in the distance, thrown from air vessels with perfect aim. Another part of the palace is aglow with flames. Venus looks over her shoulder, panic in her eyes. "If she's still out there, we need to find her. We need to get her to safety! This whole thing could blow up any minute now!"<br>"Zoisite and Mercury have her, she's in hiding already. We need to go to them and lay low for a while, come on."_

A flash of white light illuminates the darkness, and behind them, a tall figure appears. Jadeite tries to drag her further into the street, but Venus is digging her heels into the ground. "What about-"

"You've got the Queen? Good, then you can take me to her and all of this can end." All colour leaves Venus's face, and she slowly turns around. Jadeite immediately raises his hands, which begin to sprout flames.

_"Tak- Kunzite," Venus corrects herself, and the Love Me Chain appears in her hands. Betrayal is written all over her face.  
>Kunzite looks at Jadeite, not a muscle in his face moving. "Endymion is safe, go get the Queen, and then Nephrite and I can hide her too."<br>"She won't leave her people and her city," snarls Jadeite. "This is her home."  
>"This?" Kunzite glances over his shoulder. "Her people are the ones raining bombs down on the palace, without warning or announcement. Hundreds have died, and this is just the beginning. This experiment has failed. Don't be foolish. I have an agreement with Wiseman, we can leave, as long as we leave now."<br>Venus takes a step forward. "Crystal Tokyo is not an experiment! We need to gather our strength, not give up."  
>He presses his lips into a thin line. "Aiko is dead. Jupiter is in critical condition. We have not been able to establish contact with Uranus and Mars in days. This is over. We will retreat to Nemesis, and stay there. It's the best I could negotiate, given the circumstances."<br>"THIS IS NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE!" Venus roars-_

and the mirror faded to black. Michiru caught it just as it dropped from Mamoru's hands.

"Forget about Crystal Tokyo, Mamoru."  
>Her voice was deceptively soft. He looked up at her, blinking. The white furniture around him, the pastel watercolours mounted on the walls, the windows, her sea green eyes, all became the canvas on which he saw the destruction of his home replaying over and over again.<p>

Michiru got up, mirror in hand. She stroked its shiny surface as if it were a lover.  
>"Prepare yourself for Nemesis, Mamoru," the senshi murmured, "it's our new home."<p>

* * *

><p>*** End of Chapter Six***<p> 


	7. Interlude I

**Interlude**

* * *

><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. <em>

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the night, the deepest, darkest part of it. No stars were to be found on the sky, no moon, and not even a single cloud. It was if the world had been covered with a midnight blanket, and nothing moved underneath it.<p>

Except for the woman appearing on the Western balcony in swirl of twinkling golden lights, ripping the cover of darkness away for a few precious seconds. It was as if a star had fallen onto earth, and strictly speaking, it had. Looking over her shoulder, Venus made sure that she was unnoticed before slipping inside the palace.

Jadeite's room was dark, but she knew her way around here. Not as well as she did around another room, located in the East wing, but well enough not to bump into anything. "Jadeite," she whispered, carefully moving further into the room, stumbling over some boots thrown on the floor. They'd agreed to meet tonight, to discuss-

"Jadeite is busy tonight," a cold voice cut into the darkness, and Venus stiffened. "I'm afraid you will have to make do with me."  
>So much for secrecy, Venus thought, and sighed. She waved her hand, and the tiny golden lights that had enveloped her when she teleported onto the balcony appeared once more, floating through the air until each settled on a candle, setting it aflame with an audible crack. The room around her came to light.<p>

Kunzite was sitting at Jadeite's desk. His gloves were off, and discarded on the table in front of him. His cape too was gone, and the top button of his uniform was open. For him, that almost constituted casual wear. He looked decidedly bored, but she knew he was anything but. His temper, while so well hidden from the world, was always visible to her.

"So, what brings you to the room of one of my men in the middle of the night?"  
>For one second, Venus debated just kissing him until he forgot his question, but she knew him too well to assume he'd let her.<br>"I can't tell you," she instead said, her voice solemn.  
>"If this is about him insulting Mars, then I'm afraid you won't be able to change his mind."<br>In the flickering light of the candles, Venus paled. "You know?"  
>"He is one of <em>my<em> men," Kunzite said pointedly, and there was no mistaking the anger in his voice. "Of course I know."  
>"She broke her vow for him. He must marry her, even if it's only in secret."<br>Kunzite shrugged. "Her vow is of no consequence to us. He will marry her in front of everyone, or not at all. She rejected his offer-"  
>"You talk about it as if were a diplomatic mission," Venus interjected heatedly and took an angry step towards him.<br>"She rejected his offer," Kunzite repeated, "and therefore, he is not bound to her by any means. He can do what he pleases." After a deliberate pause, he looked up, nothing but mild interest on his features. "And it seems that what pleases him these days is you."  
>Her hand struck out like lightning, but he caught it easily.<br>"You are no longer welcome here. If Serenity wants to see Endymion, she can come alone."  
>Venus tried to snatch her hand back, but he held on, and she knew his grip would leave bruises. "Kunzite, let me go."<br>"Do not make the mistake of returning, Venus," he warned, and released her. She took a hurried step back, her heart hammering in her chest. She had not expected this, not expected this at all. Fighting to regain the necessary concentration to teleport, she dug her long fingernails into her palms, almost breaking the skin, but the pain was nothing compared to having him look at her with such contempt. She needed to leave, to return to Mars and Serenity and to get away-

All the flames shot up from the candles and raced back towards her, once more becoming the twinkling golden lights. They spiralled around the princess, faster and faster, a hurricane of gold, its light almost blinding. And then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone, leaving the room and Kunzite in darkness once more.

* * *

><p>Up on the moon, Mars sat on a marble bench in Jupiter's garden, blankly staring at an ivory-covered wall. It was a mild night, but then most Lunar nights were. Temperature had long since been governed by magic, and the weather controllers were most apt at maintaining the same temperature day in, day out. Despite all the years she had lived here, Mars still longed for the searing heat of her home planet, the flaming fountains of the meditation arenas, and the feeling of the sun burning into her skin until it was as red as the soil she used to walk on. But Mars was used to longing, and even more used to not being allowed to have what she desired most.<p>

When the senshi of love appeared out of thin air, little lights still twinkling, Mars barely looked up. The fact that Venus had returned alone told her all she needed to know.  
>"He won't marry me," she whispered, and got up.<br>Venus scoffed and rubbed her wrist. "I didn't even see him. Kunzite delivered a message instead."

Mars already knew what that message was. Jadeite had become so fixed on this idea, so determined, and a part of her wondered whether it wasn't a ploy to get rid of her and end their complicated relationship. "I can't marry him in front of all the Alliance. It is forbidden, it would mean I could no longer serve Serenity. I gave my- my heart to him, I broke one vow already. I cannot break another."  
>"I will go back tomorrow night. I just need to catch him alone, then I can make him see reason. You can marry, but it must remain a secret. I'll make him understand," Venus said, looking cross. Her leader, Mars knew, was not used to having someone deny her wishes or disobey her commands, but Jadeite was not someone who let strangers dictate his life. Her fate was sealed.<p>

It did not matter if Venus would catch Jadeite alone tomorrow evening. The die was cast, the decision made. Jadeite's absence tonight was his way of telling her that she wasn't good enough and that their road was at an end. One broken vow had not been enough to convince him of her sincerity, and another one she could not break. It was all she had left. Looking at the floor, she wondered how to tell Venus that her help had come too late. "You won't be able to change his mind. I know it."

"Have you seen it in the Holy Fire?" Venus asked and sat down beside her, taking her hand. If Mars had seen it in the fire, then there was nothing she could do. The fire spoke the truth.  
>Mars sighed. Even after all those years, Venus had no understanding of the gift of second sight, the nature of premonitions, the danger of prophecies. She would try to explain it again, but not tonight. Tonight, she needed to retreat. Tonight, she needed to mourn.<p>

"Thank you for trying, my friend," the Martian princess murmured and got up. Not looking back, she walked away, the white gown rustling around her.

* * *

><p>After a much too short and sleepless night, Venus teleported back onto Earth the second the sun began to shine on Endymion's kingdom. It was foolish of her to try to go to Jadeite directly: she could not hope to convince him if she did not have Kunzite on her side. Kunzite was utterly territorial, and by sidestepping him, she had wounded his pride. As his lover, Venus couldn't possibly care less, but as a tactician, she realised that this had been a grave mistake. She had to make him feel included so that he would help her, and Mars by extension.<p>

In daylight, as young as it still was, she could not risk teleporting onto the balcony, but luckily, she knew of a safer place. It was a bit daring, given their last encounter, but their fights never lasted long. The time they had together was too limited and too precious for that. Closing her eyes mid-teleportation, she conjured the image in her mind, and when her feet made contact, it was on a much softer surface.

"I sent you away, and not only do you come back, you come to my bed?"  
>Unbidden, Venus giggled. This was the voice of the man she knew and loved, warm and tinted with humour, and, as it was so often when addressing her, slightly exasperated. Of course he was already awake, just about to button his cape to his uniform. She let herself fall back onto his bed, arms outstretched, bouncing off the mattress, all thoughts of tactics fleeing her mind.<br>"I am a glutton for punishment."

Shaking his head, he walked over to her, the sound of his boots heavy on the polished floor. In the morning, in his own rooms, his face was softer, and she could tell that as long as they were alone here, she might have a chance to make him see reason. Outstretching a hand, she whispered, "join me." Last night's memories needed to be banished, and what better way than to do so by a lover's touch? They could talk later. Venus loved to touch him when the sunlight shone through the windows, warming his skin and her own.  
>But he was hesitant, and it did not take a mindreader to know why. Last night's fight was still in his thoughts. "I have duties to attend to."<br>"They can wait. No one is awake yet."

"My men rise with the sun, Venus. It's good for morale." He took her hand, but instead of letting her pull him down as she was wont to do, he pulled her up until she found herself in a sitting position. She pouted at him, winning herself one of his rare smiles. When he finally sat down on the edge of the bed, he was careful to maintain some distance between them, making it clear that this was not going to end the way she wanted it to. They would not ignore everything that stood between them by rolling around in his sheets. Gently, he pushed her sleeve up, revealing a hand-shaped bruise around her wrist. His face fell.

She knew he was looking for words of apology where none were possible. It had happened, it was in the past, and Venus had decided that all that mattered was their future, so she leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek.  
>"Shush, Kunzite, don't speak of it." They needed to move on, but the way he looked at her made clear that it wasn't going to happen. Inwardly, Venus cursed. He was too damn honourable for his own good.<br>"This should not have happened."

Instead of answering, Venus shifted on the bed, until she was lying down again, her head in his lap. It was a sign of trust, despite the ugly words and despite the bruises, and she hoped that she would accept it more willingly than any attempt at seduction. "Why did it? You are normally more in control than that."  
>"Not when it comes to you," he amended, still examining the bruise on her wrist. If things were different, he would ask Endymion to heal her, to make her skin milky white and perfect once more, but then he would not only have to reveal the relationship he had gone to great lengths to hide, but also his master's singular ability: Endymion's healing powers were one of Earth's best kept secrets.<p>

"She cannot marry him in public," Venus said softly, interrupting his thoughts, "but that doesn't mean her love for him is not pure. You of all people should know that."  
>"Me of all people," he repeated and gave her a shrewd look. "Unlike Jadeite, Venus, I do not recall proposing to anyone lately." He had not done so, and would never be able to. Of course he wanted to marry her, but he was a realist, and as such had never held any illusions as to where this relationship was going. Never down the aisle. She was his secret, one he guarded jealously, and Venus had to know that. Marriage, for them, had never been on the cards.<p>

"Now you deliberately misunderstand me."  
>"Do I?"<br>She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Love is not always for everyone to see. Sometimes it must remain hidden."  
>He grasped her hand, and bent down to place a tender kiss on the bruises. "My planet needs a sign of trust. Its political position needs cementing." He himself could not do it, his kingdom and Endymion needed him unmarried, but Mars and Jadeite... they could make this statement. They could unite the Silver Alliance with the planet that so desperately sought inclusion into the elusive federation.<br>"And you think a princess of Mars marrying a lesser Terran king would be enough?" Her voice held a hint of derision that made him let go of her hand immediately.  
>"<em>Lesser<em> king? Jadeite has a kingdom, same as me. Am I a lesser king to you?"  
>Venus blinked. "I am a lesser princess. You are a lesser king. We both serve someone greater."<p>

"So you see Endymion as being on par with your princess?" He sounded nonchalant, but the fact that he no longer caressed her spoke volumes. Sometimes, Venus thought, her life would be so much easier if only she were a better liar.  
>"No."<br>"Earth deserves more than the position at the end of the interplanetary food chain you have so graciously bestowed on us. We have come far, and once Endymion ascends the throne, a new time will begin. What we need is for the Silver Alliance to acknowledge that. A marriage between Mars and Earth is a logical first step."  
>It was an uncharacteristically long speech for him. And it was not that Venus didn't agree with its basic premise, she did. Ever since Serenity had fallen for Endymion, and her guardians had to spend more and more time on Earth, Venus had come to love the blue planet as much as her own. Its magic was clearly nowhere near as developed as that of her home and she had observed some rather savage rites, but Earth had the potential to be great. It was just that she could not condone sacrificing Mars's position as Serenity's guardian to make the Alliance see it.<br>She pushed herself into a sitting position once more. "Kunzite, would you sacrifice being Endymion's guardian for the welfare of another planet?"  
>He rubbed a hand over his face, and suddenly looked tired and worn-out. "Of course not."<p>

"What makes you think it's any different for Mars?"  
>"She is not like you and I," he said.<br>"She is _exactly_like you and I," Venus disagreed, but the denial sounded weak, even to her own ears. Had Venus made a vow of chastity, as her sister-in-arms had, then she would have never let Kunzite touch her. Never. She would have stayed away, and made him do the same. And where even Serenity knew of Mars's feelings for Jadeite, and of their relationship, Venus and Kunzite kept their relationship hidden from the world. No one knew. No one even suspected, neither senshi nor shitennou. To everyone else, they were allies in maintaining the safety of prince and princess in troubling times, but that was all. The truth, as often the case, was a different one. Venus's and Kunzite's story had begun the very first moment the head senshi had followed her princess to Earth and, dizzy from teleportation, stumbled into Kunzite's arms. He had caught her with one arm while pressing a dagger to her throat with the other.

"Talk to Jadeite if you must, but you won't be able to change his mind." She had won him over once more, and while a part of him was impressed by her tenacity, her loyalty to friends and princess alike, another part of him worried that these qualities would eventually make her a problem rather than a pleasure.  
>"You underestimate me," she replied, an easy smile once more sliding onto her lips, and his worries slipped away.<br>Chuckling, he reached over and entangled a hand in her hair. "Never."

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, Venus travelled to Earth more often, seeking the suddenly elusive Jadeite, but to no avail. It was as if the blue planet had decided to swallow him whole, and not even left a bone to trace him.<p>

* * *

><p>First unlacing and then kicking off her sandals, Venus stretched out on the lavender-coloured recamier before folding herself back together to rub her feet. She'd run around that dastardly palace all day long, hiding her face behind stuffy veils, looking for Jadeite, and all she had to show for it were blisters all over her feet.<p>

"It's so frustrating," Venus confided in Jupiter as the two women reclined in the latter's room. "I've never had this problem before, never. Jadeite is usually always around. He's such a gossip, so he is where the most interesting things happen, where the most entertaining people are. And now, try as I might, I can spot neither hide nor hair of him."  
>Jupiter tilted her head, her brown curls tumbling over shoulder, hiding the hickey Venus knew was just below her collarbone. "Have you tried <em>the other place<em>?"  
>Venus frowned, all thoughts of hickeys forgotten. "What other place?"<br>"You know," the Jovian insisted, and gave Venus a pointed look.  
>Feeling something in her stomach curl, her instincts awakening, Venus sat straighter. "I assure you, I do not. What other place?"<br>Jupiter shrugged, the curls shifting so that the marks Nephrite so liked to leave on her were visible once more. "I don't know how they call it. But it's like... another dimension."  
>Venus blinked. "Come again?"<br>"I was taken there once. It's lovely, Venus, so full of life and goodness. And the flowers, they are not like ours, they are full of colour and-"  
>Venus's face darkened. "Are you telling me, now, after <em>months<em> of Serenity travelling down there, that there is _another_ world hidden from view? One, if I infer correctly, you and I cannot enter without the aid of someone from Endymion's guard?"  
>Jupiter blanched. "I had never thought of it like this before."<br>"You had never thought that if there is a place we cannot enter alone, then it might mean it's a place she wouldn't be able to leave?"  
>"You misunderstand, Venus, it's a peaceful place. It's not dangerous, not at all."<br>"Jupiter, it might be peaceful today, and a prison tomorrow. How could you be so foolish not to mention this to me?"  
>"I don't even know whether Serenity has ever been there!"<br>"That's right, you don't know," Venus said, her eyes blazing. "You don't know because you are too busy with Nephrite between your legs to take note." And with that, the head of Serenity's guard jumped up and stormed out, kicking the door to Jupiter's quarters shut behind her.

* * *

><p>The twinkling lights announced her entry once more, and Kunzite hastily put the maps Lady Beryl had given him into one of his desk's many secret drawers. These were concerns he could not share with Venus, worries he must shoulder alone.<br>By the time his lover materialised in his chambers, all of Earth's secrets were carefully hidden once more. Her visit came at a good time; he was in dire need of diversion.  
>"My, what have I done to warrant another visit so soon?" he jested, but her drawn face told him that something was afoot. Had she heard about-?<p>

Not bothering with pleasantries, Venus cut to the chase. "Is there another dimension round here that Serenity could not leave on her own accord if she should wish to do so?"  
>Kunzite tensed, got up, and walked past her to the doors leading to the balcony. He shut them, making use of this moment with his back to her to smooth his face. So she hadn't heard about the changes, but this was hardly better. Elysion was and needed to remain a secret, especially now. Even if she had already heard whispers about it, he would not tell her so much as another word, and whoever did, would pay. Dearly. He would see to that himself.<br>"Well, is there?" Venus repeated impatiently.  
>Turning to her, he affected a mildly curious look. "Why are you asking?"<br>Huffing, Venus crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I take that as a yes."  
>"You may take it as whatever you like."<br>"Why did you close the door? Scared of someone listening in? Is it a secret, that place?"  
>"Apparently not to you," he murmured, and leaned his back against the cool glass, the hands in his pockets balled into fists.<p>

"Oh, no, it was perfectly secret to me, but the same cannot be said for Jupiter," Venus sniped, looking utterly vexed. Kunzite arched a brow. "In that case, it seems that Nephrite and I will have to have a little talk."  
>"First, you and I will. Can Serenity leave on her own accord?"<br>"No. But Endymion has not taken her there. It's high treason."  
>A snort of derision escaped Venus. "Oh please. Being with Serenity already is, so what's a little more? You can hardly be executed more than once."<br>"Nobody is laying a finger on him while I live," Kunzite said firmly, and Venus felt as if the room temperature dropped a few crucial degrees.  
>"I was not making a threat to your liege," she stated, still sounding cross. Trust Kunzite to take offence at such an off-hand comment.<br>"I would kill you before you could," he responded, not a muscle in his face moving. She flinched.  
>"Glad we got that all cleared up," she said slowly while trying to regain both footing and composure. "Make sure he doesn't take Serenity there. If you notice he does anyway, tell me. I will shackle her to a pillar in her mother's palace if I have to."<p>

Instead of teleporting away, she made for the door.  
>"Where are you going?"<br>"Since today seems to be such a great day for talking, I will try to find Jadeite once more."  
>"You won't."<br>Exasperated, Venus whirled around. "Because he's _there_?" She waved her hands heavenwards, wiggling her fingers.  
>Kunzite looked down at his boots.<br>"He is, isn't he? I swear, there are days when I wish Serenity would have been born blind. Ever since she saw Earth, it's been trouble. Day in, day out. Jupiter, who seems to have mislaid her common sense in your man's bed, is more than useless, and now Mars has been caught in your web too, and I need to talk Jadeite, and he's in some secret hidey-hole. You are driving me insane, all of you!" she exclaimed angrily. For one second, Kunzite was sure she would stomp her foot like a child or throw one of the candlesticks against the wall, but instead, she just groaned loudly.

"He's not... there," Kunzite said, refusing to betray even the name of his kingdom's holiest place, "he's on a journey east with Zoisite." Yet another secret was that the two men had not set out alone: they were accompanied by the Lady Beryl, but this was none of Venus's business.  
>"Fine then, when will he return?"<br>"Next week, the week after that... It's not set in stone."  
>"But what about Mars? You know how urgently I need to speak with him! Why didn't you tell me that he was about to leave?"<p>

"Mind your own, Venus."  
>"You will do everything to make her agree to the public wedding, won't you? Do you think that by sending him away, you will lessen my chances of convincing him to marry her in secret? Do you think distance will make her heart grow fonder? That it will make her give up, just so that she can be with him again? Because it won't work, I promise you that."<br>"I do not make my plans based on you."  
>"No, you do not. Which, I assume, is why Jupiter got taken to what she described as Earth's most beautiful place, while all I ever get is this room, preferably in the darkness of the night so that you can keep me as your dirty little secret." Her hand flew to her mouth as if to capture the words that had escaped it. "I don't know where that came from."<br>He looked up. "You need to leave now."  
>"Kunzite, I-"<br>"Venus, you seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that this can be anything more than a bedroom dalliance. It cannot. If you wish to entertain a relationship more...," he paused, searching for the right word, "accommodating than this one, I suggest you seek it with someone else."  
>"Oh," she whispered. "Right. Of course."<br>She looked at him, clenching her hands in the folds of her gown. Trying to will herself to the silence, she failed, the worlds just tumbling from her lips. "Tell me, have you ever, for one moment, thought that we could do it? Taken a stand in front of the universe? Venus and Earth, together? That we could be the symbol you think your planet needs?"  
>His answer was as simple as it was immediate. "No." He didn't even look sad, she noted, not even sad. Just matter-of-fact, unperturbed. Perhaps a bit annoyed.<p>

She nodded, and took a step back. The thought of marrying Kunzite had never occurred to her before, she did not even know she wanted to until the moment she had begun to feel that he did not. Realities were one thing: she knew they could not marry, not today, not ever, not in front of everyone, and not even in front of no one at all. They simply could not do it, but knowing that he didn't want to, wouldn't even consider it, wouldn't even think of it... it took her breath away, leaving her drowning, out of air.

She could not teleport, not now that she was feeling as if she was about to cry, but she could also not stay, and let him see her cry. It would be the ultimate defeat. Kunzite was not a man you showed weakness to. Torn between wanting to leave and not being able to, Venus took another step back, until she collided with the door, feeling its handle dig into her back.

He was still looking at her, his green eyes serious, when her hand pushed the handle down, and she made her escape as an ordinary human would.

* * *

><p>By the time Venus had regained enough concentration to teleport back home, her mood had changed from devastation to rightful anger. If he thought that she would come back to him after a display like this, then Kunzite was sorely mistaken. Before the golden lights had even faded away, she set off in a brisk pace, having decided to lock herself into her chambers for the rest of the night, but she'd barely made it three steps down the hall before she - quite literally - stumbled over her princess, who was hiding behind some curtains, her sandal-clad feet peeking out.<p>

"Ouch!" the curtain exclaimed in Serenity's voice, and Luna careened around the corner. "Found you!" the Mauan triumphed, tossing her black curls over her shoulder. "And now you need to prepare for the visit of the delegation from Ganymede next week."  
>Serenity pulled the curtain away, and revealed herself and the impressive pout she was sporting. "Why? Can't we just have a dinner and be done with it?"<br>Luna narrowed her eyes. "Reception, dinner, ball. And you will stun everyone with your knowledge of the Ganymedian culture. Now go to the study, princess, I'll meet you there."  
>"But we haven't found Mercury and Jupiter yet! Mercury is probably hiding in the library, she always does! So easy! But we need to find Jupiter, she always has such good hiding spots! Please, Luna, please please please! And when we find them, they can tell me everything about Ganymede that I need to know, which isn't much anyway. Jupiter said Ganymede is the most boring moon in the orbit."<p>

"Jupiter needs to keep quiet," Venus interjected, and mustered Serenity with a firm look. "Go to the study, princess." Knowing better than to resist her lead guardian (at least on all accounts other than Endymion), Serenity shuffled her feet before slowly and dramatically making her way to the detested room, leaving Luna and Venus alone in the hallway.

"Delegation from Ganymede?" Venus asked, and Luna nodded.  
>"They seek inclusion in the Alliance."<p>

Venus felt as if the rug was pulled from underneath her for the third time that night. "But surely, they won't be accepted?"  
>Earth had been rejected over and over again, never having even been invited to Queen Serenity's palace for a meeting, and the barbarians from Ganymede, a mere moon with no magical properties to speak of, its population not even a third of Earth's, and its king as charming as a box of wet matches, was to set foot onto court a week from today, for a full diplomatic visit?<br>Luna shrugged. "I think they will. And Uranus is next."  
>"Uranus? Luna, you must be joking. Ganymede and Uranus before Earth?"<br>Lowering her voice, Luna gripped Venus's elbow. "Earth is out of the running. The Queen has not made it official yet, but she received some worrying reports and has decided to re-evaluate in a hundred years."  
>"Does Serenity know?"<br>Luna laughed. "Oh, don't I wish she would concern herself with the day-to-day Alliance business. Alas, no, she does not. This is confidential for now, so don't tell her."  
>Numbly, Venus nodded. "I won't." Kunzite would seethe. If this became common knowledge before she could talk to Jadeite, he would never marry Mars in secret. In fact, Venus was quite sure he would not marry her at all. Jadeite was not as proud as Kunzite, but even he would find it hard to bind himself to a woman who stood for a diplomatic attitude that favoured Ganymede over Earth.<br>And re-evaluation in a hundred years... Endymion and his men would be long dead by then.

"Shouldn't you ask me what reports?" Luna prodded, her eyes gleaming with good gossip. Luna, in her position as the young princess's counsellor, and the queen's advisor, and with her ability to shape-shift into an inconspicuous cat, was one of the best sources for information in all of the Silver Alliance. The shape-shifting was a well-kept secret, allowing her to listen in on confidential meetings foreign delegations had after their audience with the Queen. Luna pricked her feline ears, reported back to Queen Serenity, and just like that the head of the Silver Alliance was always one step ahead of everyone else. Luckily, the senshi were a tight-knit group, so no word of the dalliance between Serenity the younger and Endymion had reached the Mauan's ears. Venus was, however, quite sure that Luna knew about Jupiter and Nephrite. _Everyone_knew about Jupiter and Nephrite, and if Mars wouldn't stop all the crying, then it wouldn't be long before people began to catch onto that too.

"Fine, what reports?" Venus took the bite. In a perfect world, she would have heard about any and all things from the man whose bedroom she had just left, but Venus was a realist, and perfection out of reach.

Luna leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper.  
>"Our watchers have noticed that all across the planet, mountains have begun to spew fire. More and more each day!"<br>_Unbelieveable_, Venus thought. If anyone - other than Serenity - would have ever bothered to familiarise themselves with the Terran landscape, she would not have to stand in a cold, drafty hallway at this hour to explain volcanoes to Luna while all she really wanted to do was to lock herself in her room to mourn the demise of her doomed relationship.  
>"Luna, this is nothing special. These things are called volcanoes, they're a common geographical feature down there. Mars has plenty of them too. This is no reason to stall Earth's entry into the Silver Alliance."<br>Luna waved her hand impatiently. "You don't understand. They appear everywhere, even in areas that are covered with ice and snow. The watchers and the Queen do not care about the volcaenios-" Luna stumbled over the new word, "over the fire mountains," she corrected herself, "that have always been there, but about the ones that appear in the middle of a city. Just like that!" She snapped her fingers.

A thought began to stir in the back of Venus's head, and slowly, a puzzle piece fell into place.  
>"Is there an occurrence of this phenomenon in the East of the Golden Kingdom?"<br>Luna nodded. "One was found just last week underneath the sands of the Eternal Desert."  
>"Ask the queen whether she wants me to teleport there. I'll go in disguise, try to get a closer look than the watchers have from up here."<br>Frowning, Luna asked: "Why?"  
>"What do you mean, why?"<br>"The decision has already been made, we are calling our dignitaries back, and then we wait. There is no need to go and investigate what is happening on Earth."  
>And then it dawned on Venus that very much like Jupiter and Mars, she too had begun to slip up. Earth was special to them, but not to the Alliance, and certainly not the queen. For them it was just one uncivilised planet among many. For them, time was not an issue. Give or take a hundred years, what did it matter?<p>

But Venus was not the leader of Serenity's guard for nothing. Shrouding herself in the authority of her planet and position, she stood a little taller. "There is every need to go and investigate, Luna, because in case you have not noticed, we _revolve_ around Earth. What if whatever is going on is contagious? What if it spreads?"  
>This gave Luna pause. "I will talk to Mercury, and, when necessary, broach it with the queen. If anyone goes down there, it'll be you."<br>"Thank you."

* * *

><p>He found Nephrite in an unpretentious tavern close to the palace. Nephrite hated courtiers, and was always much more at ease with soldiers, traders and farmers. Right now, he was earnestly discussing the advantages of some sort of crop over the other, while three other men nodded, agreeing with every word he said. Their table was overflowing with food and drink, all of which, Kunzite knew, Nephrite had paid for.<p>

"-But this crop has one - and only one - disadvantage: it needs to be harvested before the autumn winds rise, otherwise it's all for naught. But if you harvest at the right time, it's a gold mine. It can feed hundreds, where another crop feeds ten. Excellent stuff." Leaned back in his chair, his brown curls tied back in an unruly ponytail and with far more scruff than was befitting for a dignitary of Endymion, Nephrite looked completely at home. He wasn't wearing his uniform, but instead dressed down in a brown tunic and leather pants, wearing a scandalously dirty and dusty pair of old boots. Of course, he was fooling no one. Everyone on Earth knew the faces of the four heavenly kings, but it barely mattered: the people loved Nephrite as if he were one of their own.

Kunzite knew that the same could not be said about him. Where people inched closer to Nephrite to catch his every word, they moved away from as he walked up to the table, their eyes carefully not meeting his.  
>He came to stand directly behind Nephrite, his shadow falling on the table.<br>"A word, please."  
>"Kunzite!" Nephrite threw a charming smile over his shoulder and grabbed his mug of ale, parting from his farmer friends with one last toast. "To the Golden crop!"<br>"To the Golden crop!" the men repeated merrily and watched their new found friend leave. Nephrite threw one arm over Kunzite's shoulder and thus guided them through the crowded tavern and through a small wooden door that led into a backroom. "Brother, what brings you here?"

Between barrels of ale and wine, and underneath some dried hams that were dangling from the ceiling, Kunzite shrugged Nephrite's arm off.  
>"What's wrong?" Nephrite asked, smile sliding off his large face.<br>Before answering him, Kunzite checked that the door was locked, and that the room was windowless. Satisfied that nobody could listen in on them, he turned to Nephrite.

"You took Jupiter to Elysion."  
>There was no need to explain the magnitude of this error. The look on Nephrite's face - shocked, contrite, ashamed, defiant - told Kunzite that his brother knew already. The mistake had been made and now Kunzite had to make sure that it would not find repetition.<br>Nephrite opened his mouth, but Kunzite held up a hand. "I am not interested in what you have to say for yourself."  
>The two men stared at each other, and Nephrite's face was as open and as easy to read as Kunzite's was closed.<p>

"If this happens again, I will have you put on trial for high treason, and I will execute you. Personally. And then I go after her. Are we clear?"  
>"You wouldn't- she's a royal from another planet, you cannot touch her!" Nephrite took a step towards his commander, but before he could say another word or even raise his hand, Kunzite lifted his own and shot a burst of electricity from his fingertips. It hit Nephrite square in the chest, sending him flying backwards against the barrels. Nephrite looked down, shocked, his hand wandering to the hole in his tunic and the burned skin underneath. His fingers came away stained by blood.<p>

"Make no mistake," Kunzite said softly, "I can."

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed, and Zoisite and Jadeite remained gone. The palace was quieter without them around, and Kunzite, while by no means a sentimental man, found himself missing them.<p>

Endymion was busy with Serenity, and when he was not, entirely occupied by his father's demands on his time. The old king seemed to know that his clock was ticking, and had begun to take his son wherever he went, instructing him in the finer details and inner workings of the kingdom Endymion was set to inherit one day.

As a punishment for revealing Elysion to Jupiter, Kunzite would have liked nothing more than to send Nephrite on an expedition to the arctic, but that would leave Endymion with only one guardian. So he arranged for a busier schedule for Nephrite: training the newest members of the palace guard in the morning, accompanying Endymion and the king from noon till nightfall, and watching the stars till the wee hours of the morning. With only three or four hours of sleep every night, chances of him sneaking off to meet Jupiter were slim, and Kunzite hoped that his threat would make Nephrite obey, at least until his wounds had healed. He did not relish the idea of turning his blade on his brother and Jupiter, but he would do it if he had to.

Elysion was their last line of defense.  
>If Earth was ever under attack, Endymion could retreat into the holy country, where nothing and no one could lay a finger on him. In Elysion, his prince was safe, and Endymion's safety was paramount. He was their future, their only hope. Without him, the Silver Alliance would not include Earth, but assimilate it.<p>

It did not bear thinking about, the danger Nephrite had put their liege in. The magical properties of the senshi were strong, and while Jupiter was not the smartest of the four, he would not put it past her to find a way to enter the holy land on her own now that she had been taken there. He would have to talk to Venus: she had to make sure that Jupiter was never again tasked with retrieving the Moon princess from Earth, but after their last encounter, Venus had not appeared in his bedroom again. Only Mercury travelled to Earth these days, silently fetching Serenity while barely lifting her eyes from the floor. Where Kunzite had witnessed the childlike Moon princess protesting her planned return to her home planet with every other guardian, he was surprised to find that as soon as Mercury appeared, Serenity extricated herself from Endymion's embrace, ready to leave at a moment's notice. He did not understand why this was so, Mercury seemed like the weakest and least imposing of the princess's guardians, but she was successful where even Venus had failed.

Venus.  
>Whom he had not seen for over three weeks. Another blank spot on the map.<p>

With Endymion so busy, Jadeite and Zoisite gone, and Nephrite ignoring him, Kunzite suddenly found himself alone. He normally itched for every moment of quiet and solitude because the palace, especially when filled with Endymion's guardians, was like the town square on market day. People running and shouting, something happening in every corner, and not a minute to himself. There was always something to do, someone to scold, but also someone to talk and laugh with. Now that all his companions were gone or otherwise occupied, Kunzite came to truly understand the role his brothers had in his life.

All decisions had to be made by him, with no one to consult with. Zoisite's opinion, always invaluable, was missing. Jadeite's jokes, tedious as they were, left the hallways silent in their absence. Nephrite's easy smile and easier company meant that all roads were now travelled alone.

And still the reports came coming. More and more volcanoes each day. Sudden disappearances. Sights of dragons circling the sky over the new volcanoes in the East, and maelstroms as large as villages in the Sunshine Seas. Something was shifting in their world, and it set Kunzite's teeth on edge. Trying to see the bigger picture, he compiled information, consulted with the king's magicians and the advisors from all the smaller kingdoms, but nobody had the answer he was looking for.

All he knew was that something was coming their way, and when it hit them, Endymion needed to be safe in Elysion and if that safety had to be paid for with Nephrite's and Jupiter's heads, then so be it.

So be it.

* * *

><p>*** <strong>End of the Interlude<strong> ***


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Eight o'clock in the evening, and across Japan, all eyes were fastened on the television, where the anchorman from J News One was interviewing the two people who had changed the world. On a little platform in front of a screen with the blue J News One logo, three red leather armchairs stood. The one at the right was inhabited by the famous Hayato Ito, Japan's most famous news anchorman, acting as host for the evening. Dressed in a grey suit with a light blue tie (which matched the channel's logo perfectly), he - unlike his two guests - looked perfectly at ease.<p>

"Mrs. Chiba, let's get the nasty business out of the way, shall we?" the host asked with his most winning (and startlingly fake) smile. Usagi, dressed in a simple yellow dress, nodded, her pretty face pale and worried. "Of course, ask away." Minako and Ando had prepared her for the interview, going over likely questions, outlining good answers, teaching her how to evade line of inquiry she was uncomfortable with. However, no part of the week long media crash had prepared herself for Hayato Ito's first question.

"Are you an alien?"  
>Usagi blinked at him. Everyone in the studio and in front of the televisions held their breath, waiting for the all important answer to the question, hoping and fearing - and then Usagi began to giggle, and the tension broke. "Dear God, no, not at all. Do I look that green and slimy to you?"<br>"Of course not," the host hastily assured, and this time, his smile was real.

Beside her, suited up to the nines, Mamoru shared neither his wife's amusement nor the audience's relief, and instead clearly took offence with the question. Noticing Mamoru's sour expression, Ito's wide smile slid off when he turned to him. "I take it the same applies – or rather does not – to your husband?"  
>"We're very, very human, Mr. Ito," Mamoru replied, his voice cutting, and his shoulders tense. His every word, every gesture proclaimed that he'd rather be anywhere but here, while beside him, Usagi, signature hairstyle once more on display, hair magically regrown to its former length, beamed into the camera. "We're just like everyone else, except for the glittery stuff!" Usagi exclaimed, ponytails bobbing, her hand reaching for her husband's.<br>The anchor turned to the camera, dramatically pretended to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "Well, that's something, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>In Makoto's café, the few guests still present at this late hour too were watching the news programme, the food on their plates and the drinks in their mugs completely forgotten. Behind the counter, Makoto had her eyes on them rather than the small flat screen bolted to the wall in the corner. If anyone could win the population over, it was Usagi. But the people did not share the anchorman's relief: their gaze was too hostile for that. Makoto sighed, and reached for her phone, sending a quick text to Minako. This better start working soon, or all the exposure and the danger that came with it was for naught.<p>

* * *

><p>"And I attended the Juuban High School, and my parents still live in the area." The anchor smiled, clearly wrapped around the finger by Usagi's charm. When he turned to Mamoru, the smile dimmed, and a wariness entered his eyes. This was not good, Ando thought, and stepped closer to the producer, who was watching the interview from behind the cameras. If it was Usagi people responded well to, then they would need to focus on that. They could shove Mamoru down their throats later. "How would you feel about a tour of the palace? The camera crew, Hayato Ito, you, and Mrs. Chiba?"<br>The producer's face lit up. "When?"  
>Looking over his shoulder, Ando's eyes met Minako's, who was standing next to one of J News One's board members. She nodded, and flipped open her phone.<br>"Tonight," Ando offered with his best car salesman smile.

* * *

><p>In a small government building near the financial district, the Crystal Tokyo Citizen Taskforce had its second meeting. Of course, they too were watching the interview. Its chairman, one Takeshi Nakamura, had his eyes fastened on the television, narrowing them when the host turned to Mamoru.<br>"_And you, Mr. Chiba, did you grow up in Tokyo as well?" "I did. As my wife said, this city is our home." "And do your parents still live here too?"_ At the question, Mamoru forced a smile, but Takeshi could easily see how false it was. The question was, could everyone else?  
>"<em>I'm an orphan."<em>  
>The host blinked, but quickly found his footing again, affecting an expression of compassion and leaning over to pat Mamoru on the shoulder. "<em>My condolences."<em>Takeshi made a mental note to praise Mamoru for not punching the man in the face. Talking about the loss of his family on national television was clearly not something Mamoru found easy to deal with.

One of the taskforce members, a small stocky man on his fifth cup of coffee, snorted. "Maybe he's an alien after all. No parents. That's fishy. He could have been dropped here." Ever since the interview had started, it had been clear that people did not respond well to Mamoru. Usagi they liked, but Mamoru they mistrusted, and even Takeshi, who was not given to expressing emotions openly, could see how Mamoru's reticence affected the way he came across. However, how the loss of one's parents was "fishy" and how it translated to Mamoru being "dropped here", Takeshi could not see.

He arched a brow. "Dropped from where, exactly?"  
>"Outer space!" the man exclaimed and gestured wildly at the ceiling. "Who knows, he could be from the Moon, or something!"<p>

Turning back to the television, Takeshi pressed his lips into a thin line. "I think he is very much from Earth."

* * *

><p>In the palace, Rei just put her phone away. "That was Minako. They will tape a tour of the palace immediately after the interview. The interview will wrap in twenty minutes, then another twenty until they have everything packed. I expect them to be here in about an hour."<br>Looking down at himself, Umino sighed. "I don't own a suit." He was wearing an old pair of corduroy pants, worn soft by use, a blue jumper his grandmother had made for him, and slippers. Comfortable clothes for what he had thought would be an uncomfortable evening in front of the television. Of course, they were not watching the programme on his own TV in his and Ami's bedroom. He liked Rei Hino, but she did not invite the easy camaraderie he shared with Usagi, Mina, Hiro or Ando. You didn't hang out on your bed with Rei Hino, eating candy and watching TV.

From her position in Mamoru's armchair, Rei smiled at him. Since she didn't have a television, and Ando did not have a couch, she and Umino had decided to watch the interview in Usagi's and Mamoru's living room. "You don't need to. The two of us will not appear on the programme." Mamoru had been adamant that no one who did not necessarily have to would be revealed to be associated with the palace, the crystal, or the Chibas. Hiro and Makoto had agreed with visible relief while Takeshi had done so more grudgingly. Ami, Setsuna, Umino and herself had not had much of an opinion on the matter, and had thus allowed Mamoru to set the rules for the interview. Of course, his control had lasted for exactly five minutes before Minako and Ando took over. Briefly wondering whether the idea for the tour was her friend's or her boyfriend's, Rei decided that it hardly mattered. She and Umino would have to disappear for a while.

"So they are saying they live here alone?" Umino asked, toying with the shirt sleeve of his jumper.  
>Rei nodded. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her. Wouldn't it be better if people thought that non-magical, normal people inhabited the palace without harm too? She would have to speak to Ando and Minako about that, but for now, they needed to get going. She sighed and pushed herself out of the armchair.<br>Umino got up too, looking around the room. On the coffee table in front of them, four sets of dirty plates and mugs spoke of the early dinner they had shared with Usagi and Mamoru before they left for the studio. Stacking up the plates, and letting each mug dangle from a finger, he frowned. "Then we better see that they find no trace of us."

* * *

><p>"And when did you notice that you could... grow wings?"<br>"Oh, when I was sixteen. But they're not real wings, they're just a part of the outfit." Usagi shrugged. After so many years as a senshi, she was used to her uniform, to the boots and bows, and even to the wings. Strictly speaking, the wings weren't a part of the costume, they were fully functional wings, and even allowed her to fly or rather float upwards, but she and the girls had decided not to admit to that. The plan was to make her look as normal and as human as possible.  
>"Astonishing!" the host exclaimed, and turned backwards to the screen, where the J News One logo had been replaced by a blurry picture of Usagi and Mamoru sealing the volcano away. "They looked so real."<br>"I know!"  
>Closing his eyes, Ando felt the change in direction before the anchorman spoke. If only he could not only read minds, but also transmit messages! Damn.<br>"But the volcano and the crystal are not part of a costume," Hayato Ito said, his tone suddenly growing darker. Mamoru cleared his throat, and Usagi blinked. She had not seen this coming. "No, no they're not."  
>Leaning closer to Usagi, the host lowered his voice, knowing that the mircophone would still capture every word he said, but that the dramatic effect would be transmitted too. "Don't you think that by attempting to banish one evil, you created another?" On the screen behind them, the picture of her and Mamoru disappeared, and images of the crystal-torn buildings appeared, one after the other. The Museum of Modern Art. Flash. The Muguen Gauken tower. Flash. A small residential street. Flash. A bridge. Flash. And finally, an aerial shot of the palace, and the destruction it had wreaked across the district.<p>

Mamoru crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the host. Behind the camera, Ando frantically shook his head, and Mamoru uncrossed his arms again.  
>Usagi turned to her husband, willing him to take this question. Having never been able to deny her anything, he cleared his throat.<br>"If we had not used our... singular ability, then Tokyo would have been wiped out. Completely. Irrevocably. We could not let this happen, but never did we anticipate that our actions would have these kinds of consequences."

* * *

><p>Across town, little Aiko sat on the floor right in front of the TV, excitedly jabbing her fingers at it every time Mamoru and Usagi came into view. It was an hour past her bedtime, but her mother had promised her that she could watch five minutes of Auntie Usa on the telly. Already wearing her favourite pink pyjamas and clutching her most beloved stuffed toy to her chest (a slightly ragged looking dog named Sparkles), Aiko knew that the five minutes were up already, but with the slyness of all little children who didn't want to go to bed, she waited for her father or Aunt Ami to point it out.<p>

On the couch, Hiro sat frozen, and had since the interview started.  
>"<em>Never did we anticipate that our actions would have these kinds of consequences."<em>  
>Beside him, Ami, a sleeping baby Yoshi on her lap, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again. There really weren't any words.<p>

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, LOOK!" Aiko exclaimed, "Uncle Mamo is on telly! Daddy, look!"  
>"<em>But we are doing everything we can to turn this into something positive. We are working on ways to control the crystal and to turn its growth into something useful."<em>  
>Without announcement, Hiro got up, walked over to the television, and switched it off, his whole body brimming with tension. Aiko looked up at him, big brown eyes pleading. "Do I have to go to bed now? Just five more minutes, Daddy, pleeeeeeeaaaase!"<p>

Looking down at his daughter, Hiro felt his heart constrict in his chest. _Never did we anticipate that our actions would have these kinds of consequences._ Still waiting for his verdict, Aiko reached over and tugged at the leg of his jeans. "Daddy, please?"  
>Hiro exhaled, and forced a smile on his face. "Want to go play with Bones and Spock?"<br>Aiko jumped up, dropping her toy on the floor. Full of excitement, she jumped on the spot while still clutching her father's pants with one hand. Night time play time with the dogs! Could it get any better? A wild thought crossed her head. "Can Bonesy wear the tutu again? Please please please?"  
>"Of course," Hiro said gruffly, and picked the little girl up, burying his head in her brown curls as he carried her out into the garden.<p>

* * *

><p>The interview had moved to the next section more or less seamlessly. When it became clear that neither Usagi nor Mamoru had anything more to say about their own guilt and culpability, and a short clip of a geographer (two doctoral degrees, professorship from an Ivy League university in the States, chair of the geography department at Tokyo University, extensive fieldwork in Indonesia, found and charmed and driven to the studio by one Minako Aino) had been interjected to explain that the volcano under the palace would have indeed wiped out the entire city, and no, there was no working method to have stopped that from happening, the mood became a little friendlier once more. Behind the camera, Ando and Minako exchanged a look: this was getting better, but there was still a long way to go.<p>

"What do you think of the new Crystal Tokyo Citizen Taskforce?"  
>Usagi broke into a wide smile, almost bouncing in her seat. "It's such a good idea! I'm sure the people there will do a great job!" She beamed directly at the camera, and Minako knew that despite being broadcasted all over the world, her trusting smile was for Takeshi, and Takeshi alone.<br>The host chuckled. Like most people who met her, he had a hard time not being enamored with Usagi, and when talking to her, his style of questioning was always a little kinder than when he was addressing Mamoru. "Do you share your wife's confidence in the taskforce?"  
>Mamoru nodded, feeling that the interview was finally moving on safe ground. "Absolutely. We need to work together, and we will offer the taskforce any and every assistance possible."<br>Turning directly to the camera, Mamoru said, "if the taskforce would like a tour of the building to familiarise themselves with the crystal, then I would be more than happy to guide them."

* * *

><p>"No, it's too dangerous, we can't go in there. He'd kill us in cold blood and seal us away in ice cubes!"<br>At the invitation, the taskforce had erupted into an instant fight. Half of the group was keen to go in, whereas the other half, the ones who had only signed up to find ways to get rid of the crystal, the palace, and the people they blamed for its existence, point blank refused to set foot anywhere near it. Takeshi, having always disliked loud and spineless people, stood up. Immediately, the room fell silent.  
>"I propose that the tour is on a voluntary basis only. I for one will go. I do not believe anyone will come to harm, especially not after the Chibas have gone public with this interview. There is too much at risk for them."<p>

Of course, none of the people in this room had any idea just what was at risk. His best friend and his wife, for one. His godchild. It was the thought of Aiko dying in a battle some ten odd years in the future that had propelled Takeshi into action. As soon as he had left Mamoru in Usagi's excellent care after learning about the prophecy, he had driven straight to work, handed in his letter of resignation, packed up his office, and begun to focus all his attention on the CTCT.

The only thing he had not expected was that the CTCT would be full of idiots. He needed an ally here, a second voice to support his own. Someone who projected a cool analytical mind, someone with manners and class, someone like-

Setsuna Meioh.

* * *

><p>As the programme went on a commercial break (advertising slots having been sold for prices normally only attained during World Cups), Minako flitted onto the stage, just as the host exited it to have his make-up retouched. Covering both Mamoru's and Usagi's microphones with one hand each, she bent down. "Usagi, more smiling, and I know this sounds silly, but if at any point, you could start to cry, then that would be really, really great."<br>Mamoru whipped around as if someone had set fire to his hair. "Are you joking?"

Checking that nobody could listen in on them, Minako lowered her voice. "Mamoru, this is not going as well as we'd hoped. You need to be more cordial. This is all about getting people to like you two. Usagi is a doozy, but you are not. So try to smile every once in a while, for fuck's sake."  
>Just then the anchorman stepped back on. His face looked slightly orange, but Minako knew it would not translate onto the screen. Instead, he'd look healthy, and Usagi and Mamoru would look sickly pale.<br>"Hey, make-up, those two here need some rouge!" she shouted.

* * *

><p>Thoughtfully, Umino walked through the palace. Rei hurried on ahead, closing doors, and locking them, his and Ami's rooms, the kitchens (except for one), Rei's garden-level rooms, Ando's tower, and of course, the throne room. All symbols of royalty had to be hidden, buried, forgotten for a long, long time, or they would find themselves hunted with pitchforks. Or, as Michiru's vision suggested, tanks.<p>

Umino trailed behind. He knew he should hurry, they needed to get all doors locked before the camera crew got here, but then again, what was more suspicious than a closed door in an open house? There was a fundamental flaw in their logic: if they just locked the doors, then everyone would want to look inside, revealing that the palace was inhabited by more than two. No, this would not do...

Umino stopped.  
>"What if I make them go away?" he murmured, and tentatively waved a hand over the double doors leading to the throne room. Back in the Silver Millenium, he too had been able to wield a little magic. Nothing as amazing as Jadeite's mindreading, Nephrite's star-gazing, or Kunzite's gift to send bursts of what they now knew to be electricity out of his fingertips, but he too had had a particular ability. Finding and hiding, finding and hiding. Everything and everywhere.<br>He waved his hands once more. To him, the door looked just like it always did: large, royal, and imposing.

"Rei, come here, please," the philosopher called, and the former priestess came running.  
>"What do you see?" he asked, frowning. His talent had always been a bit tricky, and he hadn't used it in well over two-thousand years. There was no telling it still worked, he should have practised-<br>"Where?" Rei looked around the hallway.  
>"Here," he pointed to the doors behind him, a slow giddiness spreading through his stomach.<br>"Nothing," Rei responded somewhat impatiently. "Did you lock the throne room?"  
>"Do you <em>see<em> the throne room?" Umino rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets. She blinked. "It's... it's a little further down the hall, isn't it?" She walked in the direction she'd indicated, but no door was to be found. All there was was smooth crystal, the flames swirling beneath it, pooling wherever she came to stand.  
>"It should be right here," she exclaimed and wheeled around, black hair flying around her shoulders, panic in her eyes.<br>Grinning from ear to ear, Umino waved his hand again, and the door materialised once more. "And it is."

* * *

><p>In a black limousine the channel had provided, Ando, Minako, Usagi and Mamoru were heading for the palace. Minako's phone beeped and she quickly checked it.<br>"Okay," she muttered with visible relief, "okay." Fingers flying over the small screen, she typed a quick answer before showing the original message to Mamoru and Usagi.

_**From: REI**__  
>All traces of us hidden. Umino hid doors to throne room, our rooms, dungeons. Ground floor kitchen open, some cupcakes and batter lying around. Usagi can pretend to have made those. Offer to host, they are from Makoto, will win points. We now leave for Mako's café, text when tour is done.<em>

Usagi blinked. "What does she mean, Umino-?"  
>"Shush!" Minako cut across her and handed the phone to Ando. "Not in here." She gave Usagi a look and subtly pointed at the driver behind the half-lowered glass window separating the driving from the sitting area of the car.<br>Usagi blushed. "Sorry."

Mamoru glared at Minako. "It's okay, Usa," he said and placed a kiss on his wife's head.  
>Meanwhile, Ando had finished reading the text, and typed in a reply of his own.<br>"What are you writing?" Mina asked and leaned over to peer over his shoulder and onto the phone.  
>"None of your business."<br>"Are you sending her love messages from my phone? Aww, Ando. You two are so cute. Cute and inappropriate. I wouldn't send this if I were you. I don't think Rei would appreciate a message from my phone saying I miss her."  
>Ando groaned and shoved the phone back in Mina's hands, instead retrieving his own, from the inner pocket of his navy suit jacket.<p>

"Not the time, Ando," Mamoru said coldly, earning himself a glare from both the journalist and his wife. Believing in swift punishment, Usagi elbowed her husband in the ribs. "Mamo, be more romantic!"  
>Ever since Mamoru learned that Ando had told Usagi what he himself had been trying to shield her from, the relationship between the two men had grown rather frosty. What further complicated matters was that Usagi was staunchly on Ando's side and every time Mamoru's residual anger flared up, his wife was the first to call him out on it, which of course made Mamoru resent Ando even more. It was a vicious circle that no party seemed to be able to break. Not that either party was trying very hard.<p>

Right now, Ando leaned forward and quickly patted Usagi's cheek. "You're my guardian and protector, Usa. The champion of love." The blonde preened, and Mamoru frowned, swatting at Ando's hand as if it were a fly. Grinning cheekily, the journalist turned to Minako, who was texting again. "Looks like someone has bested you at your job, Mi."

Minako looked up for a split second, clearly having missed the entire exchange. "Huh?"  
>"Nevermind," Ando said. "Who are you texting now?"<br>"Mako first, then Takeshi. I want to know what the response to the interview is."  
>Loosening his tie, Ando made a face. "I think we can make an educated guess."<br>"So I'm a problem, aren't I?" Mamoru asked with venom. From the moment they had agreed to the interview, it had become clear that this was a game he did not know how to play. He couldn't charm people like Usagi, Minako and Ando. He was at home in the hospital, where he was capable and respected, where he did his job and made a difference. Fishing for attention and affection was not what he did.  
>"Your attitude is," Ando replied evenly and Mamoru's jaw clenched.<p>

"Boys, not in here," Minako pointed out, her fingers still flying over her phone. Mako had already texted back, confirming her fears. Hastily finishing her message to Takeshi, she looked out of the window. The city was flying past them, and the more and more crystals adorned the landscape, the closer to the palace they were getting. "Nearly there," Minako murmured. "Mamoru, when we arrive, it would be good if you could... go into your study, or something."  
>Mamoru frowned. "I don't have a study."<br>"Yes, you do," Minako said slowly. "West wing, second floor. Lots of medical books."  
>Mamoru blinked, and then it clicked. They had moved Ami's books and desk into one of the empty rooms. "Isn't that a little extreme?"<br>"Is it?" Minako asked, and the image of Aiko playing with her parents, and of Usagi and Mamoru holding a laughing Chibi-Usa flashed in her mind. Ando closed his eyes. He hadn't been able to shield himself from the thoughts of his friends lately. It must be the stress, the lack of sleep, the direness of their situation; everything accelerated his ability and he had yet to find out how to rein it back in. Unbidden, he did not receive little thoughts, trivial ones, but every time someone around him thought of the prophecy, it resonated in his mind like a power drill.

"We're there," the driver announced, and the car came to a stop in front of the palace.

* * *

><p>Even though the café had officially closed at nine, there was still light on inside, and the bell at the door announced yet another visitor. Behind the counter, Makoto looked up, relief flooding her face when it was Takeshi she saw walking up to her.<br>"How did it go?" she asked, stepping out behind the counter to give him a brief hug.  
>"Good evening," he said politely and hugged her back before taking off his trench. "Not very good, I'm afraid. Predictably, everyone responded well to Usagi and that geographer, but Mamoru is a different matter."<br>"Same here," Makoto admitted, and went to fix Takeshi some coffee. "Perhaps this palace tour tonight will help, and then if the CTCT goes on another one, and comes up with some positive angles, we might be getting somewhere."  
>"I have called Setsuna. The CTCT will hire her too."<br>"That's good."  
>Takeshi sat down on a barstool and folded his hands on the counter. "How's Hiro?" he asked, not meeting Makoto's eyes.<br>She sighed. "Not leaving Aiko's side. Yesterday, he sat on the bench across from her kindergarten all day. Ami's with him tonight." Makoto had needed a break. It was bad enough that their daughter was at risk, but she couldn't cope with Hiro and his barely suppressed rage. Her husband's attitude to the palace had never been good to begin with, but since a visibly disturbed Takeshi had knocked on their door with the news of the prophecy, Hiro had barely held it together. At first, he had insisted that they pack up and leave Tokyo, moving to some remote place far away from the city. Then he had wondered whether it wouldn't be better to leave the country altogether, even beginning to quiz Ando on possible locales. It was about that time that Makoto had put her foot down. She wouldn't leave Usagi, and when the first real signs of the revolution against the palace appeared, they would send Aiko away, but not sooner. They had a life here, they had friends here, and, as she reminded him gravely, they had a duty too, and she for one wasn't willing to walk away from it.

The fight that followed was the severest one they had in their sixteen year relationship. When the atmosphere in their house became so toxic that Aiko asked them whether Mommy and Daddy would stop fighting if she promised be to a good girl and tidy up her room more often, Hiro had taken both kids and dogs to his parents. He hadn't said when he would be back, and Makoto had done her best to appear upbeat in front of the children, waving while the car that held her whole world had rolled out of the driveway.

In the suddenly silent house, stuffed full of reminders of the people who were getting further and further away from her, Makoto had choked up and called Takeshi. He had come over and picked her up immediately. For the next three days, he had taken care of her, putting food in front of her that she barely touched, offering to play chess with her in the evenings while she silently stared at the walls, and even held her hand when she made the nightly call to Aiko.

On the fourth day, it was Minako who brought her breakfast (badly burned scrambled eggs), and Takeshi was nowhere to be found. He returned late in the evening, a sleeping Aiko in his arms, and Hiro with the baby carrier and Yoshi in it right behind him. Makoto hadn't asked what Takeshi had said to make Hiro come back, and Takeshi hadn't volunteered the information.

In the two weeks since her husband's return, they had tried to mend their fences, but Makoto knew that she could not be around Hiro when the interview aired and had thus volunteered to gauge audience reactions in her café while Hiro watched the children. Not wanting him to be alone, she had asked Ami to sit with him. She was one of the few people whom he could still stand to have around him. Ando, Minako, and even Umino had been banned from visiting, and Mamoru didn't dare to.

"I'm sure he will find Ami's company helpful," Takeshi offered, and accepted his coffee with a nod. "Thank you."  
>Not bothering to ask, Makoto put a sandwich on a plate and placed it in front of Takeshi. "Rei and Umino are on their way here. Did you know that Umino can hide things?"<br>Takeshi frowned. "I'm not following."  
>"He has an ability. He can change... the look of things. Create an illusion, make it seem as if something isn't there."<br>"Oh," he said, a memory slowly swimming to the surface. He did not remember everything of his past life, and neither did the others. He mainly recalled the bond they had shared with Endymion, and the battle and the bloodshed their treason had caused. A few memories of Venus, and fights between him and... almost everyone. Kunzite had been a lonely man, an outsider, more feared than respected.  
>"A very useful talent these days," he eventually said, and took a bite of the sandwich Makoto had given him. He hadn't eaten all day, the looming interview taking his appetite away completely.<br>"He hid the rooms they didn't want the camera crew to see," Makoto said, resting against the counter.  
>"That's good. I hope they remembered the dungeons."<br>She chuckled. "I'm sure they did. Now, brownie?"  
>Smiling, he shook his head. "No, thanks. The sandwich is plenty."<br>"Fine, a banana then." She reached over and plucked a banana from an overflowing fruit bowl next to the till. She always had an assortment of fresh fruit ready, using it for smoothies and cakes. Or, as was the case now, for putting meat on a friend's bones.  
>"So it's either a brownie or a banana?" Takeshi's eyes crinkled at the corner.<br>"Yup."  
>"In that case, the brownie please."<br>Grinning, Makoto handed him an extra large piece on a bright yellow napkin.

* * *

><p>"That went well," Ando said, and Minako, head resting on his shoulder, nodded. The two of them were sitting on the floor, leaning against the crystal walls, their feet outstretched. Minako had kicked off her heels, and Ando had ripped the tie off the second the camera crew exited the premises. He felt like his father wearing it.<p>

Reaching over and plucking the cigarette from his hands, she took a deep drag. "I'd kill for an end of the work day cocktail."  
>"I thought you don't drink unless it's New Year's."<br>"Oh, I'm making exceptions these days. And the new year is still almost two months away."  
>"Mamoru hates you," Ando continued non-sequitur, lighting up another cigarette for himself.<br>"No, Mamoru hates _you_," Minako replied and peered up at him just as he looked down. Their eyes met, and the two burst into laughter.  
>"His face when you told Usa to cry!" Ando managed to get out between laughs. "I thought he was going to punch you!"<br>Holding her stomach, Minako giggled. "And when you shoved him into the study! I thought he was going to have a coronary!"

Across from them, a door opened and Usagi's head peeked out. "What's so funny?"  
>Trying to regain enough breath to speak, Minako inhaled. "Your husband's sunny demeanour."<br>Ando promptly burst into another fit of laughter, sliding down the wall until he was lying on the floor, fists hammering against the crystal. "Su- suhhhhunnny demeanour."  
>Grinning, Usagi stepped outside and sat down on the floor too. "He was a bit tense."<br>Slipping on her best poker face, Minako nodded. "Just a bit."

Swatting at her friend, Usagi shook her head. "Don't tease him so much. Are we going to Mako's now? Umino and Rei are already there." At the mention of Rei's name, Ando stopped laughing and propped himself up on his elbows. "Let's go then."  
>"Look at you, excited like a puppy," Mina said, and pushed herself up, her mini skirt riding up a few inches with the movement. "Oi, watch your skirt, ma'am. I don't need to see your knickers. Your fiancé has enough reasons to hate me already."<br>Bending down, Mina pulled his ear. "Shut up and look away."  
>"Is that what you say to him in bed?"<br>Usagi giggled. "Ando, you're so cheeky!" Outstretching her hands, she helped him up and brushed some ash off his jacket. "Let me go get Mamo, and then we can leave." With an excited grin, Usagi disappeared behind the door again, calling for her husband.

"Oh yay," Ando replied and looked at Minako, who shrugged and pulled her skirt down. "You didn't expect her to go without him, did you?"

* * *

><p>Despite the evening turning into night, the café was getting more and more busy, its lit windows warm and inviting, the smell of another batch of brownies being pulled from the oven wafting in the cool November air, and the coffee machine still whizzing.<p>

Ami too had found her way here, feeling desperate for company. Hiro had stayed with the children, both of whom were asleep now. Ami had offered to stay until Makoto got back, but Hiro had given her a tired hug and sent her on her way. Joining her friends, and Umino in particular, at the café had been a relief. The mood here was infinitely better, the day being seen as more of a success than a failure. By the time the party from the palace arrived, everyone was already huddled together at the counter, chatting away. Only Rei looked up when the little brass bell tinkled and announced the arrival of the rest of their group. Her eyes lit up when she saw Ando, saying a silent hello. He reciprocated in kind, before loudly greeting the rest.

"We have King Arthur's round table, and yet we meet here. Says something about the quality of your brownies, Mako," Ando loftily said while guiding Usagi, Minako and Mamoru inside. "Speaking of which, can I get one?"

Makoto crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Brownies are for those who earned them, Ando," she replied and gestured at Umino, Ami, Takeshi, and even Rei, who were tucking in and sipping coffee.  
>Usagi squeed. "I did good, I deserve brownies!" She hurried to the counter, her heels making rapid click-clack noises on terracotta floors. Wedging herself between Takeshi on a barstool and Umino leaning against the counter beside him, making just about enough use of her elbows to get there, she greedily fished for the platter that Makoto had just out of reach behind the counter. Both men shifted a bit so that the tiny blonde would have a place between them.<p>

"Usagi!" Rei exclaimed, sounding scandalised, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.  
>"Here, you can have mine," Takeshi offered immediately, pushing his plate to Usagi, but Makoto shook her head. "No way. Eat up. Usagi gets her own." Picking a plate, Makoto loaded not one, but two pieces of brownie onto it and reached for some vanilla sauce. "You really did do good, Usa. Everyone was half in love with you by the time the interview wrapped."<p>

Still standing close to the door, Minako and Ando looked at each other.  
>"Don't I feel loved," Minako murmured to Ando and took off her coat. "I guess we're the bad ones today."<br>Ando snorted. "What do you mean, 'today'?" He tugged at Minako's long, straight ponytail. "No pity party. We're here for the cake." This made Minako laugh, and together, the two made their way to the counter. Just as they approached, Takeshi turned around, his green eyes taking in the image of the two friends advancing together.

Noticing Takeshi's attention, Ando let go of Mina's hair and placed at a hand at the small of her back, steering her in Takeshi's direction. "Play nice," he whispered into her ear, before walking over to where Rei was sitting. He wrapped his arms round her waist from behind without further ado. She blushed a little, and jabbed at her piece of brownie with her fork. "Want some?" she asked and held up the fork for him to bite. Grinning, Ando leaned over her shoulder. "Yummy," he said with a full mouth, and then went on to kiss Rei on the cheek. "Ando, not with your mouth full," Rei admonished, and wiped non-existent crumbs off her cheek.

With her plate and the two pieces of hard-earned baked goods on them, Usagi left her spot between Takeshi and Umino to Mamoru, who was standing in the middle of the room like a piece of lost luggage.  
>"Here, we can share," Usagi said and pressed the plate in Mamoru's hands. He smiled.<br>"I'm not sure I've deserved brownie today, Usa. I didn't do as well you."  
>Usagi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but you can stitch people back together and I faint when I cut my pinkie slicing onions. You have earned the brownie ten times over." Setting the plate down on the next table, Mamoru hugged Usagi."Thank you," he murmured in her ear, and Usagi giggled. "Your breath tickles. Let's go eat."<p>

Meanwhile, Minako had moved into the spot Usagi had vacated, feeling hyper alert of Takeshi's eyes on her. Because it was easier, and because he had done something absolutely remarkable, she addressed Umino first. "Quite the number you did there. Now that all those doors are gone, I barely found the way to Usagi's and Mamoru's rooms. It looks completely different."  
>Umino beamed, clearly proud of himself. "They're not gone, just hidden. I'll make them reappear when we get back."<br>"Tell her the rest," Takeshi added, and Minako turned to him. "What rest?"  
>It was Ami who answered. She was standing on the other side of the counter, helping Makoto pass out food and refill plates. The young doctor was beaming. "You know how no one can see when we enter and leave the palace, even if there are plenty people watching?"<br>"Yes. I thought it was the Silver Crystal."  
>Giddily, Umino shook his head. "It is, and it isn't. It's the Silver Crystal in the sense that it broadcasts and accelerates my ability."<br>"So you are keeping us all hidden?" Minako asked, her jaw dropping.  
>"I am."<br>"And you didn't even know you were doing it?"  
>"Nope."<br>"Wow!"  
>She turned back to Takeshi. "Wow," she said again, and he smiled and nodded, looking down at his now empty plate.<br>"Next thing we find out," Ando cheerily exclaimed, lifting his coffee mug in mock salute, "is that Umino is also the unwitting mastermind behind all the plumbing!" The room erupted in laughter, even Mamoru and Rei chiming in. Only Takeshi remained silent, but he did smile, which Minako took as a good sign. While the rest continued a loud and raucous joke about the protection charm and its possible effect on the toilets, Minako finally felt brave enough to talk to her fiancé.

"And how was your day?" she asked, her voice lowered.  
>She wanted to touch him, put a hand on his arm, or on his leg, or hug him on his barstool the way Ando was hugging Rei, but things hadn't been good between them in the past weeks. He couldn't seem to forgive her for not telling him about the Outers' warning and ever since they learned about Aiko and Nemesis and Takeshi's (or rather Kunzite's, even though Minako thought this was splitting hairs) attempt to negotiate a treaty with Wiseman, he had taken to sleeping in the guest room.<p>

During the time Makoto had stayed at their house, he slept in their bed for appearance's sake, but as soon as the baker had gone home with her children and husband, Takeshi had moved into the guest room for good, even putting a few of his suits into the closet there. She barely saw him these days. Takeshi had always been a workaholic, but before Crystal Tokyo came around and had taken a giant dump on her relationship, he had always set time aside for her. Now she was lucky if she saw him when he got home in the middle of the night. If he wasn't working at the CTCT, he was chauffeuring Mamoru around. If he wasn't doing that, he was visiting Hiro and his goddaughter. And if he wasn't with the Obuchis, then he took Attila for slow walks at odd hours. She had thought it was bad when he had holed himself up in his study all night; she'd been wrong. In comparison, that had been a piece of cake because at least he had still come up to their bedroom, falling asleep with her in arms.

Standing next to him in Makoto's café, with most of their friends around them, was the closest they'd been all week. Feeling desperate and - after the success of the palace tour - perhaps a bit more daring, she took a small step to the side, so that her side was lightly pressed against his. He cleared his throat. "It could have been better."  
>"How many will accompany you on the palace outing?"<br>"Not many. They are too afraid. But Setsuna will join us."  
>Surprised, Mina tilted her head, trying to get him to meet her eyes. "Setsuna?"<br>"She's joining the taskforce."  
>"Oh, that's… good," Minako murmured. She wished Setsuna would have asked her first. Or Takeshi would have. But like this, she felt oddly side-lined and suddenly began to understand why Takeshi took issue with her going directly to Ando all the time. Being excluded didn't feel good. It didn't feel good at all.<br>"I've been thinking," Takeshi said softly, and finally looked up.  
>"What about?" There was something in his eyes that made her worry, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.<br>"Once the taskforce truly begins to work, which also means to interact with the press, you and I can't be seen together. It would give the whole ploy away." Steadying herself against the counter, Minako's heart began to beat faster. "Uh-huh."  
>"I think you should move into the palace."<br>Trying to sound as if her heart wasn't breaking, she cleared her throat. "And you?"  
>"I rent a flat."<br>"What about our house?"  
>He didn't answer.<br>"What about Attila?"  
>"I take Attila."<br>"And we see each other when?"  
>He reached over, stroking her cheek. "I'll sneak into the palace every once in a while."<br>"Every once in a while," she repeated numbly and stepped back, bumping into Umino.

"Careful there," he said and reached out to steady Minako, eyes still crinkling from the joy of the day's success and from the last of Ando's three dirty jokes. "Sorry," Minako said, forcing a smile on her face. "Actually, I'm feeling kind of tired, I think I'll go home. Long day."  
>Behind her, Takeshi reached for her hand. She put it in the pockets of her blazer instead.<br>"Do you want me to drive you?" Takeshi asked, but Minako shook her head. She couldn't stand to be in the car with him now. In fact, she couldn't be in a car period because she was feeling as if she was about to throw up any minute now. She really needed to get out of here. "No, it's fine. I'll walk."  
>"In those shoes?" Makoto asked, having begun to follow the exchange.<br>"I fight in these shoes, I can walk home in these shoes. Night everyone," Minako said, backing away from the counter. "Usa, I'll come by tomorrow morning for breakfast." With another smile, this time more brittle around the edges, Minako turned around and quickly departed, the little brass bell now ringing in the total silence of the café. Ami watched her leave, blinking. "She forgot her coat."

Not wasting a second, Ando let go of Rei and walked over to Takesh, face like thunder. "What the fuck was that?"  
>"None of your business, Ando," Takeshi replied, and put his empty coffee mug on the plate and then handed both over to Makoto, who too was still staring at the door her friend had just exited through.<br>"Okay, I know robots don't speak girl, so let me translate for you. You basically just told your fiancée that you want her out of the house. When engaged people move away from each other, that normally means they're breaking up."  
>"Minako knows it's not like that."<br>"Does she? And isn't it? Looked kind of different from two seats over."

By now everyone was listening to Ando's and Takeshi's argument and Mamoru chose to interject. Putting a hand on Takeshi's shoulder, he gave Ando a long look. "Takeshi, would you mind giving Usa and me a ride back to the palace? We came on foot, and I don't feel like walking back."  
>"Of course," Takeshi answered and got up.<br>"Oh, so you are on board with this?" Ando asked, feeling his blood boil. Moving away from his fiancée and sending her out of their house and taking the dog she had rescued all those years ago- if Ando had ever felt the dire need to bash Takeshi to death with a golf club, it was now. And Mamoru too because stupid clearly travelled in pairs.

"It's 2°C, and she's not wearing her coat," Ami repeated more loudly, turning to Makoto for help, who was still holding Takeshi's dirty crockery, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. "She'll catch a cold," Ami insisted, "hypothermia. It's November." She looked at Makoto first, then Umino, and finally Mamoru, but when no one seemed to understand what she was saying, Ami teetered on the spot for a split second before she hurriedly stepped out from behind the counter. Grabbing Minako's coat as well as her own, she flitted out of the café without looking back.

"You're a moron," Ando snarled. "Haven't learned a thing from the past, now have you?"  
>Takeshi slowly turned towards him. One of the ceiling lights began to flicker.<br>"Okay, time to go!" Mamoru insisted, and tugged at Takeshi's arm. "Now. Let's go."  
>Rei too slid off her bar stool, and walked over to the two men, placing herself right between them.<br>"I wouldn't suggest this," she said softly and looked up at the flickering lamp. "Mamoru, I think you said you wanted to leave?"  
>Behind her, Ando seethed, ignoring Rei's attempts at mediation. "Yeah, go, run. Because that will make everything better."<br>Umino mimicked Mamoru's move and reached for Ando's arm, but Ando shook it off and took a step closer to Takeshi, effectively bumping into Rei.  
>"Rei, step aside," the journalist commanded. He'd had it with Takeshi, just as a long, long time ago, he'd had it with Kunzite. Jutting out his chin, Ando was ready for a fight.<p>

Looking at the woman between them, Takeshi's eyes became cold. "I am hardly the expert on running," he said in a voice so hard it could cut diamonds. and the light above them became steady again. "I did not see the need to deal with this by developing an alcohol addiction and abandoning my friends."  
>Ando blanched, but stood his ground. He'd come to terms with his demons a long time ago. "Yeah, you just abandon Minako. Because that's so much better. If you want out, at least have the fucking backbone to say so and don't hide behind other crap."<br>Makoto groaned. "Ando, he is _not_ leaving her. And this really isn't any of your business."  
>Like lightning, Ando turned on her. "If Hiro were to move out, what would you-?"<br>"ENOUGH!" Takeshi roared. All the lights went out for a second, in the café and on the street, and in the momentary darkness, the architect's hand began to glow and crackle as he trembled. Closing his eyes, he visibly tried to will himself back into calmness, and the lights flickered back to life. "Not one more word, Ando, NOT ONE."

Opening his eyes, he reached inside his pockets, hands normal and steady again. Nobody said a thing, but behind her husband, Usagi began to cry. Retrieving his car keys, Takeshi pressed them into Mamoru's hands and left without another word, slamming the door shut so hard that the glass cracked.

* * *

><p>Many hours later, a tired Ami snuck into her bedroom. She had shed all her clothes in the study and now slipped into the pyjamas Umino had laid out for her on a chair. He was already in bed, holed up underneath a small mountain of blankets.<p>

When she inched closer to the bed in darkness, a corner of the blankets was lifted so that she could crawl underneath. "You're still awake," she whispered, more than a little surprised. Snaking a hot arm around her, Umino pulled her close and nodded into her shoulder. "I couldn't sleep without you here."  
>She smiled. "That's silly. You sleep without me all the time."<br>"Not after a night like this," he replied and stroked her hair. Everything was better now that she was here. "How's Minako?"  
>"She checked into a hotel." Ami had tried to convince Minako to at least come to the palace for the night, but all her suggestion had earned was a steady flow of refusal. Minako didn't want to go home to get toothbrush, didn't want to sleep in the palace Takeshi wanted to banish her to, and she certainly didn't want to call him to let him know where she was going. Ami wished that Usagi would have followed Minako too; perhaps then her friend wouldn't be crying herself to sleep right now while making short work of the mini bar. In situations like this, Ami felt like a failure. Comforting people did not come easy to her, she simply never knew what to say.<br>"But she has her coat," Umino murmured against her skin, his voice warm and and approving, and the weight on her shoulders lifted a bit.  
>"That she does," Ami agreed and cuddled closer. "How's Takeshi?"<br>"Coatless."

There was something in his voice she hadn't heard before. Sorting through cadence and diction in her mind, Ami finally arrived at the only possible conclusion. Fear. She frowned. "What happened?"  
>Umino sighed. There were many answers to her question, and none was particularly pleasant or easy. Burrowing his face in her shoulder, he closed his eyes.<p>

"He showed us exactly why we should have left Kunzite in the past."

*** **End of Chapter Seven*****


	9. Chapter 8

On Razor's Edge - Chapter 8

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>It was the morning after, and for once, the breakfast fairy didn't deliver. No coffee in bed, no sandwiches on bright pink plates, no orange juice delivered with a smile or a giggle. The palace was for all intents and purposes as silent as grave, even though all of its inhabitants were assembled under its crystalline roof.<p>

So Ando trailed downstairs into the kitchen, where remnants of last night's media palace tour were still scattered around the surfaces. The cookies Makoto had made so that Usagi could shine and pass them off as her own were still sitting on a plate, almost untouched. The camera crew had only filmed them, and once the tour wrapped, everyone had left for Makoto's café before Usagi could devour them whole.

A few empty mugs in the sinks spoke of the unusual visitors, but other than that, everything was as it always was. Except of course for the fact that the breakfast fairy, too distraught over last night's events, had forsaken her duty this morning, leaving the toaster untouched, and the coffeemaker asleep.

Mumbling something incoherent to himself, Ando switched the coffeemaker on. He was barely awake: he hadn't slept much and all night long, had to battle the desire to go get Minako and drag her to the palace where he could feed her booze, cigarettes, and those God forsaken cookies. Of course, he didn't even know where she went. Ami probably knew, but Ando hadn't heard her come home. Ando himself had returned with Umino, Rei, Mamoru and Usagi and the walk home was yet another event that made his "Top 10 Most Fucked up Moments" list. Even though it had been Takeshi who had so spectacularly lost control, Mamoru had turned on Ando, blaming him for the whole mess. Usagi, unable to deal with dissonance among her loved ones, had walked ten feet ahead of them, Umino by her side, trying to keep up with the tiny blonde's hurried steps while her husband and friend had it out. Rei had trailed behind them all, lost deep in thought. Despite putting herself between him and Takeshi, Ando was sure she hadn't been too impressed with his behaviour last night, and it brought back bad memories of a time where she could barely stand the shitennou's presence in Tokyo, let alone his presence in her rooms.

Ando groaned. What a fucked up situation. Even now, he wasn't sure he could cope with Mamoru. Stupid, blind idiot. And Takeshi was right there with him. Fucking noble, loyal, stupid idiots. Why did they have to go and fuck a perfectly nice night up like that?

Ando opened a cabinet and pulled out the last clean mug, putting it in the coffeemaker instead of the glass coffee pot, which sat in the sink with the dirty dishes. He needed a cup of strong, hot, black coffee even more than his morning cigarette and damn, he needed it now.

Ando hated that his and Takeshi's fight had made Usagi cry. He was absolutely convinced that he had done the right thing: someone needed to call Takeshi out on his bullshit, someone needed to stand up for Minako. And if it wasn't Makoto, or Ami, or even Rei, then it would be him, for fuck's sake.

A shuffling sound made him turn around. It was Umino, coppery blond curls a mess, eyes red-rimmed, face ashen. So Ando wasn't the only one who had slept badly last night.

He lifted a hand in his old roommate's general direction, which Umino acknowledged with a slow nod before slumping down at the kitchen table, eyes barely open, head propped up in his hands.

Since it was nine in the morning, it was a small wonder that he was already awake. But somehow, he and Ando had risen at the same time and trailed into the kitchen mere minutes from each other. Ami was still asleep upstairs, and Umino didn't know where Rei was and if Ando had slept in her bed or his and-

"Mind your fucking own," Ando murmured, and Umino sat up a little straighter.  
>"What?"<br>"None of your business where I sleep," Ando replied.  
>Umino blinked. "I didn't say anything."<br>"Yes, you did. You said that you didn't know where Rei was and if I slept in her bed or in mine."  
>"I thought that, but I didn't say it."<br>Ando frowned. "Oh. Sorry."

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Umino groaned. "Not you too. It's bad enough that Takeshi has no grip on his powers. Is the coffee ready?"  
>"I have a grip on my powers; I'm just tired. And he wasn't tired, he was just..." Ando's voice trailed off. Umino buried his head in his hands again. "Yes, I know."<br>The two men fell silent.  
>Last night, they had seen a side of Takeshi that they didn't know he had. Kunzite, yes, but not Takeshi. And it wasn't the part where Takeshi's hands had glown with electricity, where all the lights went out and flickered back to life only a minute later because he got angry. It was the part where he sent the woman he loved away, willing to give her up for the sake of protecting their master. Only that in this time and day, Mamoru was less master and more friend, less liege and more accidental saviour.<p>

Well, and perhaps the part with the electricity too. Takeshi, Ando, their fight, and the currents of electricity spinning in the architect's fingertips. It was this that had caused Umino to sleep so badly. He had come down to the kitchen, knowing he'd find Ando here. Ando was one of this best friends, and he had no idea how close he had come to being electrocuted last night. Umino had memories of Kunzite stored away in a part of his mind, dreadful memories he'd rather forget, but seeing Takehsi like that had popped the lid off this particular Pandora's box right then and there.

Kunzite had been a weapon, it was a simple as that. Umino remembered one battle in which Kunzite had killed hundreds with a wave of electricity, send forth from his fingertips and the commander had not even broken a sweat. Their opponents (it seemed foolish to think of them as enemies from today's vantage point) had dropped like flies, never realising what had hit them. And this was the man Ando had faced last night. For just a second, Kunzite had been back. And Umino knew that he was partly to blame for that.

He should have listened to Takeshi, respected his wish to be as normal as possible. Instead, he had driven him to being Kunzite once more and-

Ando put a mug of black coffee in front of him, setting it down with a thunk. It was the one he had made for himself, but Umino looked like he needed it more. "He wouldn't have hurt me."  
>Reaching for the coffee, Umino pressed his lips in a thin line.<br>"Umino, he wouldn't have. He has a dog, and a girlfriend, and a house. He wouldn't have electrocuted me. He wears a suit, damn it."  
>"I'm not sure he still has a girlfriend," Umino said slowly. "From what Ami said, Minako moved into the hotel for good."<br>"Ami should have brought her back," Ando said heatedly, earning himself a rare scowl from Umino.  
>"Ami went after her when no one else did. Ami brought her her coat. And Ami tried, so shut up."<p>

Ando made a face and walked back to the sink. He looked down at the mugs and picked the one that looked the cleanest and shoved it under the still dripping coffeemaker, ignoring that the mug was now sitting in the tiny puddle of coffee that had accumulated in the few seconds it had taken him to give Umino the beverage. Returning to the table, he plucked his pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his sweatpants and sat down opposite Umino.  
>Lighting the cigarette with a snap of his fingers, he inhaled deeply.<br>"Can you do more with fire than just that?"  
>Ando shook his head. "Nope. A little flicker, but that's it." He looked at Umino, sitting there in a faded blue hoodie and his blue and red checked pyjama bottoms, hair akimbo and face once more kind. Kind and tired. "Sorry about the Ami thing. I didn't mean to be... you know."<br>"An ass?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"'s okay," Umino said and reached for his mug.  
>"When are you going to start pestering me to make up with Takeshi? Before or after I make you a sandwich?"<br>Umino twisted his mugs in his hands, careful not to spill any of the coffee. He shrugged.

Well, this was unusual, Ando thought. Normally Umino was the first person to stand up for Takeshi, make excuses for the architect, explain his behaviour, justify his overreactions. Actually, Mamoru was the first person, but Ando didn't really listen to him much. He did however listen to Umino. Coming to think of it, everyone did, even Rei, even all those years ago.  
>Maybe it was because Umino was nice to everyone, maybe it was because he was ridiculously smart, or maybe it was because everyone liked to see the nice blond kid in the hand-knitted sweaters happy and thus accepted whatever advice he forked out.<p>

Only that he was quiet now.  
>"I'm not speaking to him before he apologises to Minako."<br>Still quiet.  
>"Fine, whatever, I'll call him. But if he goes spirit fingers on me again, I blame you."<br>Umino took a sip of his coffee.  
>"What, do you want me to go over to his place then, get this sorted now?" Ando groaned and made a move to get up. "Umino, you'll be the death of me."<p>

"I don't think you should seek him out right now," Umino finally said, still toying with the mug.  
>Ando fell back into his chair. "Excuse me?"<br>Umino sighed. What a mess. What a horrible, horrible mess.  
>"Are you saying I should wait and let him and Mi sort it out first?"<br>"No."  
>"For fuck's sake, what <em>are<em> you saying then?"  
>"Just that you should not go to him right now. You're annoying, and don't think I didn't notice that you started to pilfer my clothes again - I want those socks back -" Umino said, gesturing at Ando's rainbow-socked feet, "but I quite like you alive. When Kunzite loses it, then I don't want you anywhere near him."<br>Ando swallowed. "You mean Takeshi. When Takeshi loses it."  
>"I meant exactly what I said."<br>For once lost for words, thinking of the uniform that still lay crumpled at the bottom of his closet, Ando got up. For fuck's sake. What a morning this was turning out to be.

* * *

><p>While nine o'clock might feel early to Ando and Umino, in a house with two small children, it was as if half the day was over already. Aiko had awoken at six sharp, and then climbed into bed with her parents, prodding her little finger into her father's chest until he groaned and got up to entertain his daughter.<p>

Now it was three hours later, baby Yoshi was busy building a tower of wooden toy bricks, Aiko was playing with her Barbie Dream House, and Makoto and Hiromasa were having some well-deserved coffee together.  
>"It was scary," Makoto admitted. "He didn't look like himself at all."<br>Hiro, glad to have missed last night's events, pulled his wife in for a quick hug and kiss on the head. His heart went out to Takeshi, who once again seemed to have been stuck with the label of the bad guy when nothing could be further from the truth. "Poor bugger."  
>"Ando provoked him."<br>"Ando provokes everyone. It's what he does."  
>"So you think it's okay? What he said? Hiro, Takeshi got mad because Ando asked me what I would do if-"<br>"I know what Ando asked, you told me last night," Hiro interjected. He wasn't willing to discuss the few days they had spent apart, the brief period of time where he had wondered if his children's life wouldn't be safer without their mother in it. "I'm just saying that Takeshi is a poor bugger. And that he and Minako had trouble brewing for a while now. You all behave as if the humps of crystal and the wings and the past are of no consequence to how we live our lives today and that's where you're wrong. Takeshi knew that, and feared that, and now he has to pay for Ando's and Minako's blindness."  
>Makoto bit down on her bottom lip. "What if he comes here? He has to stay somewhere, Hiro."<br>Hiro snorted. "Mako, he would never come here until he has himself under control again. Never. He wouldn't risk Aiko and Yoshi."  
>"Him being here isn't a risk," Makoto exclaimed and extricated herself from the embrace. "I just said he was scary, not dangerous."<br>Unconsciously, Hiromasa rubbed his chest, right under his heart. This lifetime, there was no scar. "If you say so."

* * *

><p>Ando and Umino ambled down a corridor.<br>"FYI, I slept in Mamoru's study."  
>Umino did a double-take. "What? Why?"<br>"You hid my tower last night."  
>"I know."<br>"I couldn't find it when I got home."  
>"I thought I made all doors reappear." Umino sputtered, turning beet red.<br>"In one go? Bit ambitious, don't you think?"  
>Well, this was humbling. And Umino thought he had done so well. Of course, by the time they had returned last night, his mind had been on the events in the café, on Takeshi and Kunzite, and on the nature of reincarnation and history. He wasn't exactly at his personal best. "Maybe I need to practise a little more."<br>"Yeah. Maybe you do," Ando agreed, and bumped his hip against Umino's.  
>"Well, so do you, with your measly little flame and your accidental disrespect for the privacy of other people's thoughts."<br>"Hey!" Ando protested.  
>"It's true!"<br>"Fine, I'll practise. Can I practise on you?"  
>"You want to read my mind?"<br>"Do you have any secrets you want to safeguard?"  
>Umino laughed. "I tell you everything anyway. Which brings me to this: I am going to ask Ami to marry me."<br>Ando broke into a wide grin. "Finally! When?"  
>"As soon as I find the right moment."<br>"Got a ring?"  
>"Of course I've got a ring."<br>"Your nan's?" Ando asked, knowing the answer already.  
>Umino smiled. It was one of his favourite things in the world, watching Ami and his grandmother get on like a house on fire. He'd have to take her to Kyoto again soon. "She loves Ami."<br>"Everyone loves Ami. So will I be best man, or what?"  
>"You do get that me marrying her is not about you, right?"<br>Ando laughed and wrapped an arm around the smaller man. "Man, I am so proud of you!"  
>"I haven't done anything yet," Umino insisted, but reciprocated by slinging his arm around Ando's shoulders too.<br>"Oh shut up. How about we celebrate by you giving me my Rapunzel tower back?"

* * *

><p>Rei stretched under her sheets, feeling a thousand years old. A soft knock at her door alerted her to the fact that it was day. Opening her eyes, she cast a quick look out of the window. Everything was grey and rainy.<p>

She sighed. She could have done with a blue sky today.  
>There was another knock. "Come in," she called out softly, already knowing who it was before Ami peered in. "Did I wake you?"<br>"I was just about to wake up," she said.  
>Ami nodded and slipped in, closing the door behind her.<br>"Mina is in a hotel."  
>"She wouldn't come here?"<br>"No."  
>This was worrying. Minako was a sociable person, being alone in a strange environment wasn't good for her, or at least not as good as being around her friends was. Rei wondered whether Minako would pick up the phone if she called or if she had dug herself too deep into a hole for that.<p>

It knocked again, but before Rei could call out, Usagi burst in, slamming the door shut behind her.  
>"Morning," the queen said, and - giving Ami a peck on the cheek - walked over to the bed and climbed in, joining Rei under the covers.<br>The priestess rolled her eyes.  
>"Ami, come in too," Usagi called out and lifted a corner of the blanket. Knowing that not getting into bed would lead to a long discussion, Ami simply walked over and did as she was told.<br>"Where's Mina?" Usagi asked Ami.  
>"We were just talking about that," Rei replied instead of the doctor. "She's in a hotel."<br>"That's stupid, we have so much space around here."  
>Ami bit down on her lip. "She doesn't want to come here because this is what Takeshi wants her to do."<br>"Okay, then she can go home and he can stay here."  
>"Usagi, Takeshi can't be seen near the palace."<br>"Duh, protective charms? Umino can hide him."  
>Rei cleared her throat. "I don't think him moving in here is a wise choice, Usa."<br>"Either she moves in here or he does or they both do." Usagi blinked at her. "I won't have two friends of mine be miserable and alone. One is bad enough, two is impossible."  
>"I tried to get her to come here, but she doesn't want to, Usa, she really doesn't."<br>Usagi reached for Ami's hand and pressed it. "That's because you are too nice and respectful of her wishes. We'll send Ando to pick her up, he doesn't take no for an answer. So, which hotel?"

* * *

><p>The hotel room was nice and lush and spacious. It also came with a big tub and a generous mini-bar. Minako had made ample use of the latter as soon as Ami had left last night. Now she was sitting - hungover, miserable and alone - in the tub, letting the hot water rain down on her. She had already washed her hair, shaved her legs, and brushed her teeth, but somehow didn't want to leave the tub, even though she had promised Usagi to come over for breakfast.<p>

Instead, she sat in the tub as if someone had glued her behind to the ceramic. She didn't even know whether she was unable or unwilling to leave and had decided to just keep sitting until she knew at least that.

She had lined up all the complimentary cosmetics on the rim, from smallest to biggest, and then alphabetically, and then again according to size. The hotel had a perfectly equipped bathroom. There was even some conditioner. Most places only had soap and shampoo, but this place was trying to be different, trying to be a proper home away from home. It said so on the stationary. A home away from home. Exactly what she needed. Minako toyed with the small tube of conditioner before setting it back down on the rim only to send it flying to the ground with a flick of her finger.

He had asked her to move out. It didn't matter why, he had asked her to move out. And he would take Attila. And move out too. And then their house would be empty. The house he had built for the two of them. Sniffing, Minako rubbed at her eyes. It was stupid to wipe away tears when you were getting wet anyway, but she couldn't help it, it was instinctive. And she had been acting purely on instinct since last night. Instinctively, she had known that she needed to put as much physical distance between herself and Takeshi and instinctively, she had sent Ami away and instinctively, she had begun to empty the mini-bar and instinctively-

"It's not instinct, it's sadness," Ando's voice interrupted her from the door. "And you are getting the floors all wet. This is why shower curtains were invented, Mina, and this hotel has a very nice one. Use it."  
>Mina shrieked. "Naked! I am naked in the shower!"<br>He stepped inside the mist-filled bathroom. "I can see that." Folding himself together, he sat down on the wet tiles, making a face when his clothes began to soak up the water. He would look like he'd wet his pants. "Usagi says you should come home."  
>"I am still naked."<br>"Oh please, I have seen you naked plenty of times." Nevertheless, he reached behind him for the towel rack and tossed a white fluffy towel at her head. Lifting her hands, she caught it with ease.  
>"Nice boobs."<br>"Shut up. Tell Usagi I'm staying here."  
>"No, you're not. You're coming to the palace with me. If I have to live in that glittery coffin, then so do you."<br>"It's what he would want."  
>"Fuck him. Not literally though. No more goodies for him. Moronic asshole."<br>Minako gave him a serious look. Well, as serious as a look can be when it's given by someone trying to hide in a tub, covering her modesty with nothing but a wet white towel, while the shower head still rained down hot water and flattened her hair to her head. "It's what he would want," she repeated.

"It's also what Usagi wants and what Ami wants and what Rei wants and what Umino wants and what I want."  
>"What about Mamoru?"<br>"Fuck him too. Again, not lit-"  
>"I get it," Minako said and got up, turning the water off as she did so. Ando reached for another towel, a bigger and drier one this time. He too got up and helped her out of the tub before wrapping the towel around her shoulders.<br>"I'm getting you that nice robe places like this always have hanging in the closet."  
>"This is breaking and entering," Minako called after him, feeling a bit more like herself again. "How did you even get in here?"<br>He laughed. "I told the receptionist I was your boyfriend and wanted to have crazy monkey sex with you."  
>Drying herself off, Minako frowned. "I don't think I will have crazy monkey sex again."<br>"Are you going to have a nervous breakdown now?"  
>She thought about it for a moment. "No."<br>"When are you going to have a nervous breakdown? Just so that I can put it in my day planner." Ando asked, stepping back into the bathroom with the promised robe in hand. He was grinning, but she could see the worry in his eyes.  
>"How about when I go get my stuff?"<br>"I can go get your stuff," he offered and leaned over to brush her hair behind her ears.  
>"I'm a big girl."<br>"And I'm a bigger boy. Let me help you here, Mi."  
>"You can carry boxes."<br>"I can do more than that." All mirth vanished from his features. "You did more than that."  
>She knew he was talking about their summer in New York, all those years ago, and the time before and after. "It's fine. Carry boxes. And try not to get in the middle of this."<br>He wrinkled his nose.  
>"What?"<br>"Too late for that."  
>"Ando, what did you do?"<br>He met her eyes head on. "Stood up for my best friend. Now let's go get some coffee in you before I take you to Usagi."

* * *

><p>On the whole, Mamoru didn't care much for living in the palace. He hated how his wife couldn't paint the walls pink because the colour wouldn't stick, how they had too many rooms to furnish and not enough people to inhabit them, how it ripped apart the city he called home, but one thing he didn't hate was that you never got cold feet. Walking down the hallway barefoot, the heat from the encased fire warming his feet, he decided that this was one good thing about the palace.<p>

He'd have to tell Usagi later. She'd be pleased that he found something about their new home he could like. A small win among a long list of losses.

His phone rang, the standard Nokia ring tone echoing off the crystalline walls. He kept the phone with him at all times. It used to be because of work: he was the surgical resident who got offered all the extra shifts, his efficient and polite attitude winning him many friends in the hospital. Since the volcano, the only people calling him were his friends.

Even so, Mamoru fished the phone from his back pocket immediately, heart beating just a little bit faster. Today of all days he could do with some OR time: he needed a day away from the madness.

But it wasn't the hospital, it was Makoto.  
>"Hello Makoto," Mamoru said. "Usagi is with Rei and Ami in Rei's room. Do you want me to get her for you?"<br>"Hi Mamoru, no, I'm actually calling to speak to you. Do you know where Takeshi went last night? He's not at his house and his office building is closed over the weekend, so he can't be there either."  
>Mamoru swallowed. Not for one moment had he thought about where his friend would go to. "No, no idea. Have you tried his mobile phone?"<br>He could almost hear Makoto roll her eyes. "Of course I have. So he's not at the palace then?"  
>"No."<br>"Is Minako?"  
>"Not that I'm aware."<br>"Will she come over later? Move in?"  
>Mamoru snorted. Just a second ago he'd been mentally complaining about not enough people actually living in the palace, and now that another one was about to move in, he wished she wouldn't. Minako wasn't high on his favourite people list (not that this list was very long anyway). "Your guess is as good as mine. Usagi and Takeshi want her to."<br>Makoto's voice took on a warning note. "You don't?"  
>"I want my wife to be happy. If it makes Usagi happy to have Minako around, then that's fine with me. Do you think he might have gone to a hotel?"<br>Accepting the change of topic, Makoto went along. "If he did, we can't find him. Tokyo has too many hotels to ring every single one."  
>Plus, Mamoru thought, if Takeshi didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. It was a simple as that. The easiest (and most impossible) thing to do would be to catch him just as he went into the next CTCT meeting, which was tomorrow morning at nine. But as the embodiment of all crystalline evil, Mamoru Chiba of course couldn't go there, and neither could Usagi.<br>"I'll leave him a message, ask him to call either you or me back," Mamoru offered, while knowing that it was a futile endeavour. Takeshi would stay away and silent until he had come to terms with last night's incident.

"Okay, thanks," Makoto said, and hung up. Stowing his phone away, Mamoru resumed his walk.  
>Last night's incident... it was a rather euphemistic way of putting it. In all the years they had known each other, Mamoru had never seen Takeshi lose it like that. His friend was always so controlled, even in his rage, but something Ando had said had just pushed his buttons. It was foolish of Ando to get involved, he'd been once more overstepping his boundaries. It was so easy to see that Takeshi wanted nothing less than to stay away from Minako. Just a few weeks ago, he'd given her a holiday to Egypt as a present! Of course, given the prophecy, there was no way now that Takeshi would leave the country for any period of time. He would do everything he could to assure that the prophecy would not become reality. He wasn't leaving Minako, he was trying his best to assure they could all have a future. It was a sacrifice and the fact that Minako and Ando didn't see that raised Mamoru's shackles. They were being unfair to a very fair man and that just didn't sit right with him.<p>

And now Usagi wanted Minako to move in. Great. He'd rather have Takeshi move in, but that would unfortunately defeat the whole purpose of Takeshi's decision.

* * *

><p>She was unusually silent. His bubbly, loud, vicacous friend, she of the tiny skirts and the big smiles, was quiet. They had walked into the palace through the big front entrance, safely guarded by Umino's magic. Minako was moving into her new home in yesterday's clothes and with only her mobile phone in her hands. All her other possessions were still in her house, but Minako refused to go there.<p>

For now, all she wanted was to talk to Usagi and Rei about Kunzite. Not about Takeshi: about Kunzite. When Ando had admitted what had happened last night after she'd left, not leaving out how he had fuelled Takeshi's rage, Minako had clutched his hands, asking him over and over again whether he was alright, whether Ami had checked his heartbeat for any irregularities, whether he'd slept, eaten. Patiently, Ando had explained that he was okay, that the electricity from Takeshi's hands had never even touched him, that his heartbeat felt more or less normal, his appetite was moderate, and would she please take a chill pill now?

But Minako was worried and nothing could change that. Ando had almost kept the fight between him and Mamoru a secret, not wanting to add to his friend's many worries, but that was not and never had been how their friendship worked. The two of them had always told each other everything. In the Silver Millennium, when the relationship between Kunzite and Venus had been one of the best kept secrets of the universe, Venus had told Jadeite on her own accord. She had confided in him, as he had confided in her. It was one of his greatest regrets that he hadn't allowed her to convince him to marry Mars. It might have kept him from falling for Beryl's lies.

However, there was no Beryl this time around and yet all of them were falling apart. Their little group was struggling with its fate, and it seemed that once more the world was intent on not letting two of them be together. Rationally, Ando knew, Takeshi had a point, but he would have thought that if anything, his past would have taught him to hold onto the woman he loved. Minako deserved that.

She stopped. "Which room is mine?"  
>Ando swallowed. She was trying so hard to sound collected and efficient, it was fucking breaking his heart. "I don't know." He didn't think anyone had thought this far ahead.<br>"Is there furniture in it?"  
>"In the room that I don't know about?"<br>She gave a small nod.  
>"Shit, I don't think so."<br>"And it's Sunday. IKEA is closed."  
>"You can crash with Rei for now, and I'll get you furniture. You want one of those round beds? One of those fancy hooker beds? And a big wardrobe? Or all the pink stuff Takeshi wouldn't let you get?"<br>She looked down at her feet, still clad in the high heels she'd worn to yesterday's interview. "Takeshi never minded. I could get whatever I wanted; he just cared about me feeling at home."

For once, Ando didn't know what to say.

* * *

><p>Armed with his credit card, Ando knocked on Hiromasa and Makoto Obuchi's front door. He didn't want to ring the bell in case the kids were napping - parents got so ridiculously riled up over every little sound as if children were dynamite and bells a box of matches.<p>

The door opened and Ando looked up to meet Hiromasa's eyes.  
>"You need to sell me some girly furniture," the journalist said and waved his credit card. "Today. Now. So you get out of your grandpa slippers and get cracking."<p>

* * *

><p>"You could move into the empty tower in the South wing," Usagi suggested, her head resting on Minako's shoulder. Ando had deposited Minako at Rei's, where the other girls were still resting in bed. With Usagi cuddling up her right, Rei pressed to her left and Ami compiling a long list of all the empty rooms and their relative advantages and disadvantages, Minako already felt lots better than she had in the shower a few hours ago. It had been good that Ando had brought her here.<p>

"I don't need a whole tower," Minako disagreed. A whole tower would feel too permanent, too much like a real apartment. It would make living away from Takeshi too much of a reality. Attila couldn't climb too many steps. She couldn't move somewhere where her dog couldn't get.  
>"There are two free rooms in Ando's tower, underneath his room," Rei suggested. "I just don't know whether they have bathrooms. Ami?"<br>Ami thought about it. "I think they do."  
>"Wouldn't you mind me living closer to him than you do?" Minako asked, not wanting to step on Rei's toes.<br>"You are my friend. Of course not," Rei huffed, sounding genuinely offended.

The door popped open, and Umino appeared, carrying a tray. "Breakfast, ladies." He put the tray onto the bed, gave Ami a kiss, and disappeared again. Even Rei had to smile.  
>"He is a very nice man," the priestess praised, and Ami blushed a little. "He is."<br>"My sandwiches are better, but it's the thought that counts," Usagi giggled before snagging the first sandwich, promptly dropping strawberry jam on Rei's white sheets.

* * *

><p>Hiromasa Obuchi walked into the palace on his own accord later that day, carrying the headboard of a bed under one arm, and the matching nightstand under the other. Ando walked ahead, carrying the toolbox, proud as a peacock.<p>

"Mi, get your sweet ass in here," Ando hollered, and Hiro frowned.  
>"I don't think Rei would like you saying stuff like that."<br>"Fuck off," Ando replied good-naturedly, grin on his face. "MINAKO AINO, GET THE FUCK IN HERE!" His friend now had a room. She had a nice white bed with a nice white nightstand, a matching wardrobe to boot and all of that nice white furniture had been carried and assembled by Hiro, who, while being this busy, didn't even have time to remember that he didn't particularly care for Ando and Minako. Ando counted that as a win-win situation.

Hiro looked around the room. It didn't look like a home. "She needs some plants."  
>Ando, who had never owned a single plant in his life, shrugged. "Or pink stuff. Mina is one for pink stuff. Hey, can you take her to IKEA tomorrow so that she can go get some? She can hardly take Takeshi's car."<br>Hiro's big face turned sour and he tossed the screwdriver back into the toolbox with a little more force than necessary. "I don't go to IKEA on principle."  
>"Hiro," Ando said warningly, "she is without her dog. If you were without your dogs, you'd be happy to have a friend driving you some place you like."<br>Ando plucked the nasty thought Hiro had right from his mind. He blanched. What was it with all men over six foot three in his circle of friends wanting to get a good punch in the face these days? First Takeshi, then Mamoru, and now Hiro. He just couldn't believe it.  
>"She's not your friend?" Ando asked and got up, his good mood gone. "You asshole. She had weekly dinners at your house for years. She plays with your kid. She is basically your wife's sister. Not your friend? Fuck you."<br>"I didn't say anything!" Hiro exclaimed and rose too, easily towering over Ando.  
>"You thought it!"<br>"Stay the fuck out of my head!"

Just then the door opened and the girls spilled in. "Oooh, this is so pretty!" Usagi cooed and ran a hand over the carvings in the wardrobe's double door. "Hiro, I wish I could afford your furniture, I really love it."  
>That shut the designer up for good. He'd never even thought of offering Usagi and Mamoru furniture when they had to move into the big palace. His eyes met Minako's. "I'll pay, of course," the lithe blonde said, and before Hiro could say something, feeling more ashamed than he already did, Ando waved his hand and walked over to the girls, taking Mina in one arm and Rei in the other. "My treat."<p>

"Usa, why don't you come to the shop tomorrow, pick something out," Hiro muttered gruffly. "And bring Minako, I'll drive you to IKEA after."  
>"Really?" Minako asked incredulously.<br>Hiro shrugged and reached for his toolbox. "This room needs plants."  
>"This room," Rei corrected, "needs linens, candles and a toothbrush holder."<p>

Umino looked up. "Hiro is here," he said, and Mamoru shook his head.  
>"Can't be. Hiro doesn't come to the palace."<br>"Hiro is _here_," Umino insisted and walked over to the door. Sure enough, the big man was stalking down the hall, looking extremely out of place in his lumberjack shirt, old jeans, and heavy motorcycle boots.

"Hey," Umino called to him, and Hiro looked up.  
>"Hi," he said cautiously, the grip on his toolbox hardening. Mamoru moved into the doorframe too. "Hi," he added, feeling a little stupid. He was a doctor for crying out loud, he was used to cutting people open, he shouldn't feel insecure just because a friend of his was walking down a corridor.<br>"Want to have some breakfast?" Umino asked, his green eyes full of a hope Hiro just couldn't dash.  
>"Umm, yeah, sure," he answered and followed Umino and Mamoru in the messy kitchen.<p>

Minako, Ami, Rei and Usagi were staring at the new white bed.  
>"I don't know, something is missing," Usagi said, tilting her head.<br>Ami chuckled. "How about a mattress?"  
>"I don't want to sleep on the slatted frame," Minako said. "I think Takeshi and I broke up for good, so I really don't want to sleep on the slatted frame."<br>"You didn't break up," Usagi insisted. "He wants to sneak in here to see you."  
>Always pragmatic, Ami turned to Rei. "If Ando sleeps in your room tonight, Minako can sleep in his and we can buy a mattress, a blanket, and a pillow tomorrow."<br>Rei blinked. "Excuse me?"  
>"Oh, and towels. Minako also needs towels," Ami continued. "Minako, I will make you a list." And with that, the doctor left, happy to have a purpose.<br>Usagi grinned. "Can I please tell Ando that he gets lucky tonight?"  
>"Usagi!" Rei exclaimed, all indignation.<br>Minako laughed. "Please tape his reaction. It'll cheer me up on a rainy day."  
>"I'll give you a rainy day," Rei muttered and glared at Minako. "I will tell Ando he can sleep on my couch."<p>

* * *

><p>Hiro was sitting at the kitchen table amidst two days of dirty dishes. This room seemed like a normal room. The cabinets mounted to the walls covered most of the crystal, the kitchen table and chairs were from Usagi's and Mamoru's old flat, there was a small pot of dried basil near an actual window, and if he closed his eyes, the humming of the fridge sounded just like the one in his own house.<p>

Here, in this very room, the palace didn't seem like a palace. It seemed like the weird place his old friend Mamoru had moved into. Mamoru, who obviously didn't own enough furniture to fill one-hundred-and-fifty rooms. "You did well, during the interview," Hiro finally said and took a sip of his black coffee. Turned out, even kings ran out of milk sometimes.

Mamoru snorted. "Did you watch the same interview?"  
>"He was a bit morose," Umino tried to mediate, but Mamoru shook his head at the younger man. "It was more than that."<br>"You didn't want to be there," Hiro noted, and Mamoru, twisting his mug in his hands, nodded.  
>"But you did it anyway," Hiro continued, his voice trailing off. His own words echoed in his mind, and he knew that this was a thought he would have to return to later.<p>

"Aiko liked seeing you and Usagi on TV."  
>Mamoru smiled. Everyone liked Hiro's and Mako's little girl, which was why the prospect of her dying on a battlefield that wasn't even her own had hit them all so hard. A part of Mamoru wondered whether Takeshi would have snapped into action so quickly and intensely if it wasn't Aiko's future that was on the cards. She was his godchild, a duty the architect took very seriously. In all the years the two men had gone on their monthly dinners, Takeshi had only cancelled a handful of times, and Mamoru distinctly remembered that one had been because of Aiko's kindergarten play last year and another when the girl was sick and wanted her uncle to come read her a story. They'd already been in the restaurant when Takeshi had received the call, and he had made his apologies immediately. Mamoru had always hoped that Takeshi would feel the same about Chibi-Usa when she was finally born, but this was a thought he didn't dare indulge in any longer. His own little girl might never be. Hiro was lucky: he had two beautiful children and a good life. Who could blame him for wanting to hold onto it as long as he could? Still, it was good to have Hiro around again, even if it was only for a breakfast.<p>

"I'm glad the interview was fun for someone," Mamoru said and Hiro reached over to pat him on the back. "I'm taking your wife to IKEA tomorrow," he said by way of distraction, "anything you want me to keep her from buying?"  
>Mamoru smiled. "No, I don't mind."<br>"What furniture do you need?" Hiro asked, and gestured around him, clearly referring to more than just the kitchen.

So far silent, Umino piped up. "Sideboards. Coffee tables. A few extra chairs for when we're all together here in the kitchen. And bookshelves."  
>"You always need more bookshelves," Hiro replied, grinning. "You've needed more bookshelves since the day I met you because you've never seen a book you didn't want to buy. And Ami's just as bad."<br>"Bookshelves are a good idea though," Mamoru agreed. Minako and Usagi had bought some Billy shelves a while ago, but the snob in Mamoru dreamt of proper shelves, made from real wood, perfectly lighted and safely mounted to the walls. When they'd first moved into the palace and needed to assemble the kitchen, he'd had to call Makoto and Takeshi to come and help drill the holes. Mamoru could use a surgical drill, but not a real one, and he hadn't had a father who taught him how to put together furniture and drill holes into crystalline walls. Luckily, both Makoto and Takeshi were keen to help, but a lot had changed since then. Takeshi had become very busy and Makoto hadn't come to the palace because it upset Hiro so much.

"Then bookshelves you will get," Hiro replied, his guilty conscience booming. Mamoru smiled and it had nothing whatsoever to do to with the new furniture coming his way and everything to do with the man sitting in his kitchen. Over the past years, he had grown accustomed to having Hiro, Umino and Takeshi around, not as a personal guard, but as brothers. With Hiro keeping his distance after the creation of the palace, Mamoru had felt as if his parents had died all over again. But them he could never get back, whereas Hiro had returned to him today.

Now if only Takeshi were here too...

* * *

><p>By the time it got dark again, the palace's newest resident was safely tucked away in Ando's bed, reading one of Ami's romance novels. Usagi had come to say good night first (bearing a pair of pyjamas), then Ami with the book, and when Ando had left, Minako was on the phone with Makoto, who had called to make sure that Minako was doing okay.<p>

Ando, happily banished from his room, made his way to Rei's. He hadn't spent the night yet, not that he was complaining. He'd returned barely two months ago and they had the rest of their lives ahead of them, together. Unlike Takeshi, he would never ever give up on the woman he'd lost once already. Rei was worth whatever price he had to pay. He enjoyed their dates, their casual morning meetings, giving her a kiss goodnight, running into her in the hallway, watching her talk to Usagi and Ami. As long as he was allowed to be around her, he was good. But tonight, he'd be better than good. He would get to fall asleep next to her and wake up next to her and he wasn't going to discount how much he looked forward to all the nice stuff in the middle.

When he knocked and entered, he found himself looking at the made-up sofa. There was a blanket and a pillow and Rei was just setting a bottle of water and a glass on the coffee table beside the couch.

"I am sleeping on the couch?" Ando asked, disbelieving. "Have I been that bad?"  
>Rei frowned. "If I let you in my bed, then it certainly won't be because Minako needs a place to sleep. It will be because the time is right."<br>Stepping into the room and closing the door behind him, he made his way to Rei, who accepted a kiss from him. Instead of moving away, he remained close. She had showered, and her long wet hair was pulled back in a tight pony-tail, her fringe brushed to the side. There was not a scrap of make-up on her face, and she was already in her pyjamas, long black sleep-pants and a grey long-sleeve.

His hand travelled to the small of her back and slipped underneath her shirt. Her skin was so soft, it drove him nuts. And then that smell of lavender.  
>"What do you mean, 'if'? I think you meant 'when'. Say you meant 'when'," Ando murmured against Rei's mouth and she smiled despite herself.<br>"It doesn't matter. You'll sleep on the couch tonight. Even if it's only to prove a point to Usagi."  
>Stroking little circles on her back, he rolled his eyes. "Women."<p>

An idea crossed his mind and he grinned. "How about you sleep on the couch with me?"  
>Rei eyed the couch with doubt.<br>"Bit small, isn't it?"  
>This time, Ando laughed. "I don't think I should respond to that. All my suggestions for the space saving problem are dirty ones."<br>"Oh you, shush," Rei replied immediately and stepped away from him, a blush creeping on her cheeks.  
>"You are adorable," Ando said, and reached for Rei's hand, pulling her close to him again. "If you had a TV, I'd ask you to watch something with me and then make my move."<br>"I don't," she said, and smiled again. "I wasn't too happy with you last night, Ando," she continued, her voice growing suddenly serious, the smile slipping off her face.  
>"Because I meddled?" he asked with a frown, entwining his fingers in hers. He was trying very hard to reign his powers in. Unlike Umino, Rei would be mad if he delved into her mind accidentally, Ando was sure of it.<br>"No, because you were reckless and endangered yourself instead of stepping away from a potentially hazardous situation."  
>Ando looked down at their joined hands. "Umino said something similar earlier. Mina did too."<br>"Take it seriously then," Rei said and rose onto tiptoes to lightly kiss his lips.  
>"I always take you seriously," Ando replied.<br>"That's not what I was asking you to do. I want you to-"  
>"I know," he interrupted. "Got it. Promise. But I still think all of you are wrong. Takeshi wouldn't hurt me. He walked away before anything happened, and this is the first time since we remembered who we are that something like this happened. The first time. I can't even begin to count how many times I lost control over my powers and learned all sorts of things I had no business knowing." He moved over to the couch, and Rei followed him. They sat down side by side, but he reached down and pulled her legs up and over his lap, stroking her ankles.<p>

"Mindreading and electrocution are wildly different phenomenons, Ando."  
>"I wonder if I haven't been doing it a lot longer than I realised. Perhaps my success at work is not because I'm a solid writer, but because I plucked information from the minds of my sources, never knowing I did it."<br>"Your point being?"  
>"My point being that Takeshi has a very firm handle on himself and I think last night showed that more than disproved it."<br>She shook her head. "Interesting perspective, but I cannot say that I agree with it. He is a very dangerous man. He's self-destructive, and it extends itself to Minako. I cannot tolerate that."  
>Ando gave her a shrewd look. "Neither can I. I'm saying that he's not a danger to any of us. I'm not saying he's not an ass. I want Minako to be happy, Rei. If she can be happy with him, then I'm good, but if they are not happy together, then I'd rather have them apart."<br>Rei gave him a long, levelled look. Then she got up, her movements quick and decisive. Before Ando had really caught on to what had happened, she'd already pulled her feet back and hoisted herself up and was now standing in front of him, looking down at his confused face. "Fine, you can sleep in my bed. But you better behave."  
>Ando blinked. "Just like that?"<br>"Want me to change my mind?"  
>"Not even a little bit," he immediately said, his face eager.<br>"Then come," she said and extended her hand to him.

* * *

><p>The next day found Usagi, Minako, and Hiromasa on their pre-planned trip to his large workspace and to IKEA. Only Hiro looked like himself: Usagi had donned a brown wig to make sure nobody recognised her from her TV interview, and Minako was wearing some of Ami's clothes, therefore looking far more demure and respectable than she normally did.<p>

To Hiro's surprise, it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. The wig did its trick and nobody recognised Usagi as the woman from the TV. Her old jeans and sneakers made her look like any pretty woman in her twenties. In fact, he found that with the brown hair, she looked like Makoto's younger sister.

Minako too was on her best behaviour, shopping quickly and efficiently and never shying away from any heavy lifting. The necessary articles were soon selected, paid for, and hauled into Hiro's transporter and before it was even lunchtime, Hiro had dropped the girls and the furniture off at the palace again, where Ando and Umino were waiting to carry everything inside.

Watching them in the rear view mirror as he drove away, Hiro decided to not only give Usagi the two kitchen chairs she'd chosen in his shop, but to build something for her. Something pretty, something she wouldn't find anywhere else. Perhaps a nightstand with bunny ears or something equally cutesy. Somehow, this seemed important.

His mobile phone began to ring. He glanced on the passenger seat, where he'd tossed it earlier. The small display was aglow, the caller's ID flashing up at him.

_Takeshi Mobile._  
>Not hesitating, Hiro indicated right, pulled over, and answered the phone.<p>

Minako, Umino, and Ando were just heaving the mattress onto the bed when Hiro entered.  
>"Forgot something?" Umino asked, looking around the room to see if any of Hiro's tools was left on the floor from yesterday.<br>Hiro shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulder slumping a little bit. "Listen, Minako, this is a bit awkward." Minako slowly put her corner of the mattress down, and Ando and Umino followed suit, leaving the mattress half on the floor and half on the bed.  
>"Go on," Minako said, her blue eyes on Hiro, who looked even more uncomfortable than he usually did around her. And here she was thinking that because she'd bought him a hotdog and a soft drink, their relationship had gotten better. Of course their morning camaraderie couldn't have lasted.<p>

"Takeshi called me, he said that he has already been to the house and that you don't have to worry about Attila. He'll call you in a few days."  
>Minako snorted. "You mean he told you it was okay for me to go the house because he isn't going to be there and to not call him until he's ready."<br>Hiro fidgeted. "I told you what he said, nothing more, nothing less."  
>Straightening her spine, Minako exhaled. "Thanks for passing the message along."<br>"You want the delivery van to get your stuff?"  
>"I can't drive a van," Minako replied, suddenly looking a little sad. She could drive Takeshi's big BMW X5 and that had always been enough to get furniture and other cumbersome things from A to B, but of course, she could hardly fetch her stuff in the car of the man who wouldn't even call her.<br>"I can drive it," Umino offered, and Hiro tossed him the keys, clearly glad to have found a way to wrap the conversation.  
>"You can take Ami's car, she went to work with Mamoru anyway. The keys are in our living-room, I'll go get them for you," Umino said, and made for the door.<p>

Hiro offered Mina and Ando a half-hearted wave and followed Umino out of the room.

* * *

><p>Her house was silent. No dog padding to greet her, no Takeshi peeking out of his study to welcome her with a little smile. No radio, no television.<p>

It was cold too. She walked over to the heater: it too had been turned off. When she'd left for the interview just two days ago, it had been switched to full power because Minako so hated being cold and with November nearing its end, the temperatures were dropping with each day. With a sinking feeling, she walked into the kitchen. The dishwasher was empty. She opened the fridge: neither light nor food greeted her. Feeling numb, she stepped onto the foot-handle of the trash can. Its lid flipped open. There was nothing inside, not even a new bag.

Takeshi must have turned all appliances off when he left. He hated wasting energy; knowing neither he nor Minako were going to be here for a while, he had shut the house down, even thinking of taking out the trash and emptying the fridge of everything edible.

He'd probably watered the plants too. Sticking her fingers into the soil of the pot of herbs by the window, she knew she'd been right.

Takeshi had packed up for good.

Just as Minako felt the tears spring up in her eyes, Ando put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.  
>"It'll be fine," he murmured. "One way or the other, it'll be fine."<p>

Minako left the house with five boxes of clothes, all of her books (which Umino volunteered to box and carry) and with her computer bag. She eyed the TV mounted to the wall in the living-room, but couldn't bring herself to actually take something off the walls.

Ando, who had been loading up the van with Umino, came back inside.  
>"I think we got everything but your bag. You okay?"<br>"No." Takeshi had told her that he would come to the palace, sneak in to see her, but as she packed up her possessions, she realised that a part of her didn't believe it. Their stance towards Crystal Tokyo was so different and she knew that they were on the path to becoming the people Mamoru had seen in Michiru's mirror. If Takeshi believed that the best course of action for all of them was a negotiation with Wiseman, then this was what he would do, and he wouldn't give a damn that she found it impossible to live with. Just as he didn't give a damn that she was standing in their house, its emptiness ripping a hole in her heart. Just as in the past, Kunzite hadn't given a damn about-

Bypassing her, Ando walked up to the living room wall and plucked one of the framed pictures of her and Takeshi off the wall. "Here, pack this. Just in case."  
>Minako took the picture from his hands. It had taken her weeks to convince him to sit for a photographer with her, and even then he had been grumpy until she had tickled him out of it. Literally. It was one of her favourite pictures of him, the one where he laughed.<br>"Are you ready to go?"  
>She swallowed. "I am sleeping between you and Rei tonight and you can both hold my hand and pat my head."<br>"Kinky, but yeah, sure. And we'll get Usagi to join us too. No being sad around Usagi, it just doesn't work. Also, more hands. Always good. Do you want me invite Mamoru?" Ando kissed the top of Minako's head, the gesture betraying the levity of his words. She'd be fine. He knew she'd be fine because Minako had a backbone made from steel. "You're tougher than a box of rusty old nails," he said and rubbed her arm as if to warm her.  
>Minako turned to meet his eyes, a question mark on her face. "Thanks, I guess?"<br>"You'll be fine, Mi. Now come on, Umino is itching to get back to the palace."

Ando opened the door, letting Minako slide onto the middle spot of the seat bench before sliding in himself.  
>"Thanks for helping me," Minako said, and Umino started the car, trying very hard not to look at the picture Minako was clutching in her white hands. "No worries."<p>

* * *

><p>Ami's day had been long even though it was only early afternoon. She'd begun work at 4.30 this morning and it had been one of those days where she'd barely had the time to catch a breath.<p>

There had been three emergency operations, plus two regularly scheduled ones, lots of post-ops to follow up on, and of course, the whispers during lunchtime. She didn't know how Mamoru did it. Everyone was always looking at him, patients, nurses, fellow doctors. And then there were the journalists that had taken to hanging out in the parking lot, hoping to score an interesting soundbite of the mysterious Dr. Chiba. Nobody had realised that Ami was part of the packaged deal. The colleagues simply thought she and Mamoru had been friends before the volcano and now she felt obligated to sticking with him. They didn't suspect that Ami was anything more or less than the skilled medical professional they knew her as and Ami was glad for it. If they whispered about her the way they did about Mamoru, if all eyes were on her all the time, she couldn't cope with it. It would make her flustered, leave her a less capable doctor.

Where she and Mamoru often used to go for a coffee at Makoto's after work, he had now adopted the habit of hurrying home and once inside the palace, made a beeline for his and Usagi's rooms.

After fetching herself some yoghurt and a banana from the kitchen - which was a lot messier than she'd left it this morning, without a doubt due to Minako moving in - Ami too retreated to her rooms.

Entering through the study, she hung up her jacket on one of the hooks in the wall, deposited her purse on her small cramped desk, and opened the bedroom door. Perhaps she and Umino could watch a film tonight, do something normal. After her shift, she simply didn't feel like doing any more research on the crystals. It was tedious at best and utterly demotivating at worst because so far, all her work had yielded nothing. What she needed now was to relax, to spend time with Umino.

But it seemed as if a nice relaxing evening wasn't on the cards. Inside the bedroom, she found Umino, pacing back and forth, his chin-length cinnamon curls sticking out in all directions. He'd been fretting, she could tell by how the sleeves of his jumpers were becoming all stretched out, dangling loose around his wrists. Something had made him nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hurrying towards him.  
>He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide. "Ami." He gulped.<br>"Did something happen? Usagi? Minako?" Ami's mind went into overdrive. If Usagi was in any way harmed, Mamoru would have been called, so that couldn't be it. Minako however - had Takeshi appeared, had they fought again? Had Ando gotten hurt? What about Makoto and the kids? But surely, if something was the matter with Aiko or Yoshi, Hiro and Makoto would have called her!  
>"No no no, everything is okay!" Umino assured her, but somehow didn't seem any less nervous. Ami exhaled. If he said everything was okay, then it was. "Then what's going on?"<br>"Nothing, Ami, nothing. Except..." he paused, and ran a hand through his hair, shifting the curls in yet another direction. "I helped Minako to fetch some clothes and some of her things today."  
>"Did she find the clothes I laid out for her?" Ami asked. She'd put a pair of jeans, a jumper and some sneakers out for her friend. Minako couldn't go shopping in her black skirt and blazer outfit from the interview. While Minako's and her figure weren't quite the same (Minako was curvier and taller), Ami had carefully chosen articles of clothing where it didn't matter.<p>

"She did," Umino said, thinking of how odd it had been to see Minako in his girlfriend's favourite green jumper. "She got her own things now."  
>"Did you run into Takeshi at the house?"<br>Umino shook his head. "He called Hiro to let us know he wouldn't be there. The house was empty."  
>He reached for Ami's hand. "I don't ever want you to walk into our home, wherever it is, with a face like Minako's today."<br>Ami's heart got heavy. "So bad?"  
>"Yes," Umino confirmed simply. "Ami, I can't help but feel that Minako and Takeshi have missed their moment. I don't want that to happen to us. You are everything to me."<br>"As you are to me," Ami replied, taking a step towards him, going in for a hug, but Umino shook his head. "No, wait, you don't understand. This wasn't quite how I'd planned it, but..." he shoved a hand in his pocket and fumbled for something, his face turning red.  
>When he finally found what he'd been searching for, he cleared his throat. "Okay," he murmured, "right, here we go," and then went down on one knee, extending his hand to Ami. Opening his fist, he revealed a simple silver ring in his palm, with a tiny stone embedded into it.<br>"It's my grandmother's," Umino said, trying very hard to hold still.

Ami looked down at him, at his sincere face, at the small, hopeful smile on his lips. She'd always been a top student, had known the right answer to every question. This time, she knew the answer before she'd even heard the question.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>The appointment at the courthouse was last minute. Umino had called from Hiro's van while waiting for Ando to retrieve Minako from the house earlier, and had snagged the last free slot before the courthouse closed for the day.<p>

The bride wore a simple blue dress under her warm wool coat, the groom a pair of black slacks and a nice green v-neck jumper with a checkered shirt underneath. He couldn't find his tie in the nick of time, so he'd gone without. It didn't matter to the bride anyway. They made it in at ten to four, with not a minute to spare.

At five past four, doctors phil. and med. Kiichi left the courthouse as husband and wife.

*** _End of Chapter Eight_***


	10. Chapter 9

On Razor's Edge - Chapter 9

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Christmas, a time for joy, a time for love.<br>Minako sat on her bed, steadfastly ignoring Usagi's chatter about how to best get a big tree into the palace, and instead focused on applying the red nail polish to her toenails. Now that the holiday was just around the corner, she didn't feel like celebrating. She didn't feel like celebrating at all.

It had been one month since she'd seen Takeshi. He had left the café after she did and had not been seen since. She knew he occasionally called Hiro; for some reason the furniture designer had become his chosen go-between. But not even Mamoru knew where he was staying and with each passing day, each falling snowflake, Minako felt more and more certain that their relationship was at an end. Takeshi hadn't kept his promise of sneaking into the palace to see her; there were no footprints in the snowy blanket that covered the greenery around the palace. The only people who came to her tower room were the friends who also lived under the crystalline roof. With only one more week to Christmas and no Takeshi in sight, she would have to tell her parents that she'd come to Christmas dinner alone for the first time in over a decade. And what fun that would be.

"We can make popcorn chains and string them around the tree," Usagi continued blithely, "and perhaps we can cut snowflakes out of some simple white paper. I'll ask Mako, she'll know how to make homemade ornaments."  
>Examining her toes, and finding she was satisfied with her work, Minako looked up. "I think Rei is right. We aren't Christians, there's no point celebrating Christmas."<br>Usagi's face fell. "But I like Christmas..."

"Don't let the Grinch ruin it for you, sweetheart," Ando announced from the doorway. There was snow on his newsboy hat and on his thick coat, but with the heat from the volcano running through the walls, it was melting fast. He tossed a magazine at Minako, aiming for her head. She caught it with ease and began to flip through it.

"What's this?"  
>"I called in a few favours, placed a nice little article about how Usagi is adorable."<br>The queen giggled. "I am, aren't I?"  
>Ando ruffled her hair. "And don't you know it."<br>Beaming, Usagi got up. "I'll go tell Mamo you said that. Then he will go out of his way to say something even nicer to me. Win win!"  
>And she was off, the sound of her bare feet titter-tattering on the floor.<p>

Ando remained leaning against the door, watching Usagi leave, a fond smile on his face. "You know, I think being mean to Usagi is a capital offence. And if it isn't yet, then we should make it one."  
>"I wasn't mean, I just don't want to celebrate Christmas," Minako muttered and put the magazine on the nightstand. There was a whole stack of files and magazines lying there. She had made her bedroom her office, determined to do something useful with her time when she only slept so little anyway. Nighttime was always the worst.<br>"Says the woman who made us all write letters to Santa before Halloween."  
>Not meeting his eyes, she picked up the bottle of nail polish and placed it gingerly on the floor. "Things were different then."<p>

"Cry me a Mississippi river, Mi. You don't get to ruin Christmas for Usagi and me just because Takeshi is a dick," Ando announced, moving into the room more fully.  
>Minako swallowed. "Have you heard from him?" She hated how needy she sounded; it was why she barely ever enquired after him.<br>"Because I'd be the first person he'd seek out? No. Not a word. He won't even take Umino's calls."  
>"He called him?" She hadn't known that.<br>"He wanted to tell him about the wedding. Ostensibly. Personally, I think Umino wanted to check whether he'd find Takeshi or Kunzite at the other end of the line, but he doesn't say so."  
>"Oh, you <em>think<em> so?" Mina tilted her head to the side, giving Ando a shrewd look.  
>"Fine, I read his mind, but I'm allowed."<br>"Are you reading mine right now?"  
>Ando sighed dramatically and let himself fall backwards onto the bed. "You are thinking 'bunny bunny bunny bunny sheep chocolate sad Christmas sad sad Ando is a dick.' You never minded before."<br>"I still don't. I just wanted to know. It's so weird that I can never tell when you're doing it."  
>"Would you rather have your skin crawl every time it happens? Because I can't control it when I'm in the palace, so your skin'd be crawling all day, every day."<br>"What about Rei?"  
>"What about her?"<br>"You said you never read her mind. How?"  
>"Because unlike you and Umino, she would mind and I love her," he replied simply. In reality, it wasn't quite as simple. He'd had to leave her presence on more than one occasion to keep his promise, had to shield his mind like crazy on others which also meant that any spoken conversation came to a grinding and absolute halt, but that was a small price to pay to honour his word.<p>

Minako blinked. Even though everyone knew Ando loved Rei and Rei loved Ando, it was oddly touching to hear him say it out loud. "Oh Ando..." she whispered, and smiled a little.  
>"Shut up, you. Don't get mushy on me."<br>The two friends looked at each other, until finally, a blushing Ando pushed himself off the bed again. "Come on, we have work to do."

* * *

><p>The next week passed in a hurry. Ami and Umino left for Kyoto, Mrs. Mizuno in tow. The newlyweds were going to celebrate their wedding with Umino's family, Ami's mother and lots of homemade food. Umino had asked Ando whether he wanted to come along, and while there were only few things that Ando liked better than letting Umino's grandmother feed him the best Japanese cuisine had to offer while watching his friend show off his lovely new wife with that adorkable smile of his, Minako's situation had made him decline.<p>

So he stayed in the palace, working away at press releases, accompanying Usagi to five television appearances in three days and helping her conduct phone interviews for the rest. In the meantime, Minako had begun to set up the Chiba Children's Charity. While the public, who knew nothing about the royal couple's real financial situation, were to believe that the money came directly from Usagi and Mamoru, it really came from Minako. Sailor V corp, still running smoothly and making a huge profit in merchandise, was funding this particular publicity endeavour.

Each night, the two friends met in Minako's bedroom, going over the day's victories and failures. Minako didn't mention Takesh anymorei, and Ando was glad that she didn't ask about Mamoru. While Usagi, who had been so upset over his fight with Takeshi and Mamoru, had forgiven him in an instant, Mamoru did not. It was glaringly obvious that Mamoru was mourning the loss of Takeshi and that it was Ando he blamed for it. Hiro wasn't much better, but at least he came in and spent some time in the palace now and then, something he had refused to do for the last three months.

Even now, at nine in the evening, Hiro was hammering away in Mamoru's and Usagi's living room, setting up the shelves he had promised his prince. The honey coloured wood (a concession to Usagi, who had wanted them in white or pink, while Mamoru preferred something dark) would cover the crystal walls, make the palace more homely. Standing useless by his side, holding a box of nails, Mamoru watched Hiro work.

"I just don't understand why he won't take my calls," Mamoru insisted, two spots of red rising in his cheeks.  
>"Because if you tell him to come home," Hiro replied and reached for another nail, "he won't be able to say no."<br>"Well, good," Mamoru said, "because he is not supposed to be alone just because of one moment in which he lost control. It happens to all of us. Usagi told me that Rei once set a table on fire, Ami accidentally flooded her mother's office, and half the thunderstorms over Tokyo are caused by your wife. It's not a problem."  
>Hiro groaned and wiped some sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. They had had this conversation too many times already. "He doesn't want to risk anyone's safety. He will come back once he is certain he has himself under control, Mamoru, you have to give him the time he needs. And my wife does not cause thunderstorms over Tokyo."<br>Mamoru smiled. "Perhaps not these days."  
>"And Minako's powers never took an accidental detour?" Hiro asked, bringing his hammer down over and over again until the silver nail had disappeared in the wood. Mamoru waited until he had finished before answering. "Not that I know of."<br>"Huh," Hiro said, sounding impressed. Minako was a tricky one. Whenever he saw her, she seemed perfectly okay. You wouldn't think she and her partner of a decade had just hit such a rough patch. When he and Makoto had gone through their difficult phase, Hiro had felt and looked like shit, barely holding it together. "How's she doing?" he asked, surprised to find that he really cared.  
>Mamoru frowned. "I don't know. Ask Ando."<br>Hiro snorted, his goodwill ebbing away. He couldn't help but feel that if Minako would spend half the time she spent with Ando on helping Takeshi come to terms with his powers, they'd all be in a much better place. But of course, even Hiro had to admit that he was being a bit unfair: Takeshi didn't want Minako's help, he didn't want anyone's help. Because accepting help also meant a safety risk for anyone who came near him.

"Umino asked him to go to Kyoto with him and Ami," Mamoru continued, an unwelcome thought rising to the surface: Takeshi probably wouldn't like it if Minako stayed holed up in the palace with Ando of all people. It would have been much better if Ando had gone to Kyoto, but then of course there was the media work and Ando and Minako were quite busy parading Usagi around like a show dog. Mamoru was not blind to Ando's qualities, and perhaps Minako's too. One glance at the papers told him that their plans were working out quite well so far. _Palatial resident Usagi Chiba volunteers at crystal damaged pet shelter_, the headline of a small article on the frontpage read, accompanied by a picture of Usagi petting a rather fat cat with a happy expression. Mamoru himself was quite partial to pets, but of course, neither Minako nor Ando would dream of sending him to a pet shelter to smile for the cameras.

"Aiko loves him," Hiro said, half disgruntled, half impressed. His little girl was hard to win over, but Ando had managed to do so within a few weeks of his return.  
>"Because he gave her a dog?" Even Mamoru had to smile then. It was typical of Ando; no-one else would possess the audacity to just shove a dog into a little girl's arms without prior discussion with the parents.<br>Hiro grinned and straightened his back. "Yes. But just wait, Mako and I are giving her a pony for Christmas and since ponies are the closest thing to unicorns we can get round here, Ando should consider himself beaten."

That gave Mamoru pause.  
>"What?" Hiro asked. "Pony beats dog. Come on."<br>"No. I mean yes." Mamoru nodded. He knew where Takeshi was. There was only one place he could go. And that place, weirdly enough, was - and had been for many thousand years - the natural habitat of Earth's only population of unicorns.  
>Hiro squinted at him. "You alright there, mate?"<br>"Takeshi is in Elysion, isn't he?"

* * *

><p>"So Mamoru thinks Takeshi is in Elysion," Usagi proclaimed cheerfully before taking a big bite of raspberry cheesecake muffin. "Amm noww he'fs-"<br>"Chew first," Rei admonished, her pretty face exasperated. The queen heeded the order, and then continued. "And now Mamoru's going to Elysion with Hiro and then he hopes to get Takeshi back to the palace, and then everything will be okay again," she finished with a bright (albeit muffin crusted) smile in Minako's direction. But Minako was toying with her mug, her face carefully blank. Rei's and Makoto's eyes met over the muffin laden, tea bearing, vanilla-scented candle adorned coffee table.

"I'll text Ami, then she can tell Umino," Makoto offered and pushed herself off her comfortable couch. With Hiro in the palace, she had invited the girls to come here instead of meet in the café. When they were still teenagers, they met at the temple or in the Crown, but with Motoki having moved out of the country with Reika and the temple in its crystalline form, they had long since chosen Makoto's café as their new, inconspicuous meeting place. But the kids wanted watching too and Hiro was with Mamoru tonight.

With all aunts bar Ami in the house, getting Aiko into bed had been a nightmare. She'd been so excited, especially because Usagi was there and she hadn't seen her in so long. If you are four, then two months are an eternity. Rei too received a warm welcome and a sticky kiss (courtesy of a muffin the girl had nicked from the table), but her daughter showed an unusual reticence towards Minako.

Flipping her phone open, Makoto sighed. It was obvious that very much like Mamoru, her own kid, her flesh and blood, her smart little girl, noticed Takeshi's prolonged absence and looked for someone to blame. Mamoru blamed Ando, Aiko blamed Minako by the simple virtue of her being around while Takeshi wasn't. Makoto herself didn't know whom to blame. All she knew was that she missed Takeshi dreadfully. They had eaten together once a week for more than a decade, he had visited her at work, played with Aiko, and now that he was gone, had left a large hole in her life. For Makoto Obuchi, Takeshi was family.

If Hiro and Mamoru would indeed find him in Elysion, then Makoto decided that she would take him in. He could move into the guest bedroom and then he and Minako could take things from there. Or, if the relationship was indeed at an end, as Minako seemed to believe, then he could stay here until he found his footing again. Either way, Makoto was not going to abandon her family, not any member of it.

Fingers flying over the phone, she finished her message to Ami and returned to the living room, where Usagi was on her second muffin, while Rei and Minako talked shop.  
>"We just need more public support. We can do a lot with Usagi," Minako said seriously, "but at some point, we need outsiders to support her. People who have a standing, whose voice counts. If we can get a big name politician to throw their support behind Usagi, then we will have come a long way."<br>"Senator Uro was close with my father," Rei offered. "He's my godfather, more in name than anything, but it might prove helpful."  
>"Could you set up a meeting?" Minako asked eagerly, while Usagi frowned.<br>"Is Senator Uro the one with the eyebrows? The one who came to your graduation and didn't switch his mobile phone off?"  
>Rei chuckled. "They are rather bushy, I have to admit."<br>"So can you?" Minako repeated, leaving no time for fond reminiscences of graduation or eyebrows. Makoto noticed a new impatience in Minako's demeanour. Without a doubt, Minako would shrug it off, say she was just more focused, intent on helping Usagi as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it all came back to losing Takeshi, fearing the loss of of Chibi-Usa, their world, their future, and finally, even Aiko.

Suddenly, Minako's impatience resonated in Makoto. "If you could arrange something, then that would be good," she therefore added, hoping that nobody noticed the quiver in her voice. Rei's alert gaze told her that this particular hope was in vain.

Setting her mug down on the purple coaster, Rei nodded. "Sure. I'll make a call."

* * *

><p>The sky over Tokyo was dark and the December air was winter cold. Hiro and Mamoru found themselves in one of the many walled in palace gardens, their breath grey clouds on the night sky. Technically, Mamoru could enter Elysion from any place he wanted to, but he always found it easier if he was outside.<p>

Hiromasa had not been to Elysion since Mamoru teleported all the shitennou, Ami, Makoto and Usagi there all those years ago when they had re-pledged their allegiance to him, but of course he had his memories of the ancient place. He remembered taking Jupiter there once, or rather, Nephrite had. Despite having had years to figure it out, he still wasn't sure whether to think of Nephrite and his recollections of the Silver Millennium as part of his own past, or as something separate. He felt more like Hiromasa than Nephrite, always had. Nephrite had often come to Elysion to talk to the stars, the ancient trees, even the dwarves. Hiromasa had never conversed with the stars as Nephrite had, listening to their whispers of the future, but they had guided him to Makoto. The whispers from above had led him to her café in the first place, but that had been the one and only time he had experienced this sort of sixth sense.

"Hey Mamoru," Hiro said ponderously as looked at the stars above them, feeling somewhat uneasy.  
>"Yes?"<br>"Reckon we should ask Ando along too? Or wait for Umino to come back?"  
>"I don't think Ando is the right person to convince Takeshi to come back."<br>"And I don't think," Ando's voice interrupted, "that Takeshi has cell phone reception in Elysion."

He had been in the garden all along, leaning against one of the few trees, smoking away. As always, Hiro thought, Ando was somewhat out of view, but present.  
>"Since he called you," Ando continued, addressing Hiro, "more than once, I believe, he is probably not there. But that's just me, and clearly, I am not invited to your little rescue party. But you should call Umino, he would be terribly disappointed if you went to Elysion without him."<p>

Mamoru crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I am still going tonight."  
>Ando shrugged and took a drag. "Do what you want. But I am willing to bet my father's whole collection of antique golf clubs that he's not there."<p>

Taking a step back, Hiro put his hands in his pockets. He'd left his gloves in the car, never expecting to do more tonight than help Mamoru with the shelves, perhaps fix a lamp or two. And now here he stood, under the starry sky, in the complete silence that always seemed to engulf the palace while the temperature dropped well below zero. The snow underneath his feet made a crunchy sound as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

_He is not there._

"What did you say?" Hiro asked, turning to Mamoru, who was glaring at Ando.  
>"That Ando should call Takeshi to apologize."<br>Hiro frowned.  
>"And you?"<br>Tossing the cigarette butt on the floor and crushing it with his trainer clad foot, Ando smirked. "I hadn't formulated an appropriate response yet. I am still trying to find a more eloquent way to say 'fuck off', but it's late, I'm tired, and your wife hasn't left a thermos of her delicious coffee lying around."

"Oh," Hiro said, just as Mamoru was turning an unbecoming shade of red. He looked up at the stars again, twinkling away, looking exactly as they had always done.

"Right. In that case, we can save ourselves the trip. We can go to Elysion at another time, take Umino. Ando's right, Takeshi isn't there. And now I'm going home to my wife. Night."

And Hiro headed back inside, trying very hard not to hear anything at all, not Ando and Mamoru bickering and certainly not the voices from above.

* * *

><p>The next morning came and Ando decided to just spend the day in bed. He needed a break. He couldn't be around Mamoru, who hated him, or around Minako, who was sad, or around Aiko, who was in danger, or her father, who was weird, or Usagi, whom he wanted to be happy, or anyone else. Except for Rei, who wasn't in the palace, or Umino, who wasn't even in the city.<p>

So he pulled the covers over his head, closed his eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, he failed. Twenty minutes into his attempt to hide from the world, he had to admit that it wasn't going to happen.

Groaning, he stuck an arm out of bed, fumbling for the remote he kept on the floor. The TV was switched on, and without lifting the blankets off his face, he began to flip through the channels, going by sound alone.

Comedy show. Re-run of the movie he had watched last night before heading out for a smoke. Music videos. Commercials. Another comedy show. And finally, breakfast television. The host just wrapped a segment on how Christmas presents were getting more and more expensive with every passing year. Oh fuck. Christmas presents. Only three more days to go, and the only person he had a present for was Rei. He had to get some express mail order presents for his parents, something really cool for his editor, and of course, a small mountain of gifts for everyone but Mamoru fucking Chiba.

"And when we return from the commercial break, join our reporter Keiko Mitiho as she takes a tour of the reconstructed Hikawa temple with Rei Hino, the late Senator Hino's daughter, and her godfather Senator Uro."

Throwing the blanket off his face, Ando shot up in bed, eyes glued to the television, where, sure enough, after six commercials (car, diapers, Ipod, online travel agent, mobile phone, trailer for a new vampire film), a pretty reporter appeared, Rei at her right and an older man with bushy eyebrows by her left.

They were walking around the Hikawa temple, snow dusting their heads and shoulders. Rei was wearing a coat he hadn't seen her in, a sombre black affair that looked as if it had cost a fortune. It was the kind of coat his mother would wear. Rei's hair was different too, it was wavy where he had only ever seen it straight. Pearl earrings, leather gloves, and a cranberry coloured scarf completed the picture. She was even wearing lipstick. Everything about her proclaimed money, good breeding, and class.

"Miss Hino," the reporter asked, face eager, "how does it feel to see this place reconstructed with the aid of the crystals?"  
>The camera changed to a wide shot of the premises, the temple looking as if it were made from ice amidst the falling snow. Rei smiled and Ando clenched his hands into fists. Whatever had brought Rei there? He knew that she hated the resurrected temple, found it soulless and artificial, and yet here she was, smiling at the reporter while the old man standing next to her nodded along to whatever she was saying.<p>

"It is wonderful," Rei said softly. "My father and grandfather held the temple in such high regard, and I know that had they lived to see it fall to pieces, they would have been devastated. With the aid of the crystal, the Hikawa temple can continue to offer serenity and good luck to the citizens of Tokyo. It is an unexpected blessing."

"Senator Uro," the reporter continued, "you are now the patron of this holy place. How does it feel?"

The camera moved from Rei's face to that of the politician. It was just a millisecond, but Ando saw how the fake smile slipped off Rei's face. He pushed the red button on the remote, switching the television off.

For a moment, he sat in silence.

Then he jumped off the bed, strode out of his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>He found the person he was looking for in Usagi's bed. Minako and the queen were watching the programme too, munching on sandwiches. The queen's bedroom was nice and toasty, warmed by the volcano's fire. There were Christmas decorations everywhere; a big paper maché Santa by the bed, its matching reindeer by the window, and of course, lots and lots of fir branches on all available surfaces, resulting in the room smelling like a forest. Usagi was even wearing a Santa hat, but the sound of Rei's familiar voice booming out of the TV, spewing crap Ando didn't believe for a second, kept him from appreciating this particular detail.<p>

"I am so grateful Usagi Chiba has saved my childhood home. It was my dearest wish to see the shrine restored to its old beauty and now it has been granted."

"Minako, what were you thinking?" Ando barked, and the queen jumped. A bell on her hat jingled.  
>"Ando, you scared me! Look, Rei is on television!" Usagi beamed up at him, waiting for his reaction.<br>For once ignoring the tiny blonde, Ando kept his eyes on Minako. "You know how she feels about this and you had nothing better to do than shove her in front of the camera?"  
>"Not my idea," Minako replied.<br>"Wait, what do you mean, how she feels about this?" Usagi asked, looking from Ando to Minako and back again. A note of panic crept into her voice. "Rei was so happy that we saved the temple, she said so!"  
>Minako reached over and patted Usagi's hand. "You did wonderfully, Usa, but this is complicated. We'll talk about it another time. And now excuse us for just a sec, Ando and I need to have a little chat." Pressing Usagi's hand one more time, Minako peeled herself out of bed, the anger in her eyes belying the innocence of her Sesame Street pyjamas.<p>

Gripping Ando by the elbow, she maneuvered him out of the bedroom, quickly closing the door behind them. Her voice was level, but there was no mistaking her anger.  
>"Ando, not in front of Usagi. Ever."<br>"You know that this is torture for Rei!" That second where he had seen her face fall... He had promised that he would do his best to make her happy, to atone for all the suffering he had put her through in his past lives, and now Minako had caught her and put her to use in their PR campaign. It wasn't okay, Ando thought, his temper rising. It wasn't fucking a-okay.

"We all have to make sacrifices. And if Rei can help our cause by taking a walk with an old friend of her father's, invite a camera crew to film it and smile a bit about something she is not too happy about, then that's a rather small price to pay."  
>"You cajoled her into this," Ando insisted, wrenching his arm out of Minako's grasp.<br>"We need to win people over, Ando, and Rei-"  
>"Rei," Ando cut across her, "is not Usagi. We need one face to carry this, and we agreed that we would build the campaign around Usagi. Using people like this, no matter the personal consequences, is much more Kunzite's style than your own."<br>Minako blinked. "You did not just say that to me."  
>"Back off, Minako. Leave Rei be. I mean it. She can't handle it."<br>Minako took a step back. "I am going to go in again, and resume my breakfast with Usagi. And thanks to you, I get to tell her that Rei never wanted the temple restored to begin with." She narrowed her eyes. "You talk to Rei about this, because Ando, so will I. And about that apology you owe me? Make it good."

Minako retreated into the bedroom again, closing the door in Ando's face.

* * *

><p>Pushing herself out of the pool, the cold air enveloping her like an icy blanket, Ami hurried over to her towel. Umino's family had a large pool in the backyard, and since it was heated anyway and Umino wouldn't get up for at least another hour, Ami had braved the short trek through the snow-covered garden to swim a few laps.<p>

It was rather beautiful, swimming in a hot, steaming pool while the rest of the garden was covered in snow, but now that she'd finished, the winter scene was rapidly losing its appeal. Quickly slinging the towel around her wet hair, she reached for the thick fluffy robe and slipped into her winter boots. She knew she looked ridiculous, but also knew that if Umino's parents, grandmother or siblings saw her, they wouldn't mind. They were always so nice to her, making her feel at home. When the Kiichi family had extended the same warm courtesy to her mother, Ami had been delighted. Her mother, who, over the course of many years, had slowly pieced together just what her daughter was doing when she wasn't working at the hospital, had even said that if Ami and Umino weren't tied up in Tokyo, she'd love to move to Kyoto with them. It was a wonderful idea, his and her family together, but of course, nothing could come of it. It had to remain an idea only; their other family depended on them. So even though it always broke Umino's heart to leave his family behind when they made their way back, their choice was made, unshakeable, predetermined like so many other things in their life.

Her mother met her at the back door, holding a mug of tea, which Ami gratefully accepted.  
>"You never could resist an opportunity to go for an early morning swim," Mrs. Mizuno said, smiling fondly.<br>The smell of the chamomile tea mixed with the chlorine that still hung on her skin, a not altogether unpleasant combination, Ami thought as she took a sip. "I didn't think anyone was up yet - Umino apparently inherited his preferences for sleeping in."

"Your friend Rei is an early riser, isn't she?" Ami's mother asked as the two women retreated into the warmth of the house, and the young doctor frowned. "Yes, why?"  
>"She's on television with Senator Uro. You didn't tell me her grandfather's temple was restored with the help of the crystal."<br>Ami glanced over her shoulder; the thermometer by the door read not only the temperature (a frosty -4°C), but also the time, 7.15. "I helped Usagi with it, but it's a difficult subject. I don't think Rei liked it too much," she replied absent-mindedly. Why was Rei on television at 7.15? Why was Rei on television _at all_?

"Is she still on?" Ami asked, and her mother nodded.

* * *

><p>Softly closing the door behind her, Minako breathed. Usagi had been terribly distraught by Ando's careless comment and had insisted on watching Rei's interview again, this time on her small pink netbook computer. Naturally, now that she knew what to look for, Usagi had found proof that Ando was correct and Rei indeed unhappy with the resurrected temple. It was in her eyes, Usagi kept saying over and over again, her bottom lip trembling.<p>

It was such a shame; the idea of having helped one of her oldest friends had given Usagi so much strength, and now that she realised that the crystal wasn't even good for that, her sunny disposition had crumbled like a house of cards. When Minako finally had to admit to herself that she wasn't able to console her, she sucked it up and called Mamoru at the hospital. He had arrived within the hour, bearing a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates, and a face like thunder that only softened when he saw his wife sitting cross-legged on their bed, crying and clutching a pillow.

Minako had made a quick escape; she knew that Mamoru was the only person who could talk Usagi down. Well, perhaps Rei could do it too, given the circumstances, but Minako felt that the former miko had already done her part for the day. Checking her watch, Minako realised that Rei wouldn't be back for at least another three hours. She was going to have lunch with the Senator as a small thank-you for rising so early and accompanying her to the interview.

Where Ando had gone, Minako didn't know, but for the first time, she really didn't care. It wasn't so much an unspoken rule to not say things that upset Usagi but an unspoken _law_. To Minako, there was no sweeter person in the world than Usagi and to let Usagi know that her best intentions had backfired, and to let her know in that manner... No. Just no.

It was sweet of Ando to want to protect Rei, but Rei had fought battles much harder than this one. She had buried her mother, her grandfather, her father, had survived the unfortunate episode with Kaido, had forsaken her duty as a miko, and of course, had victoriously braved monster after monster when she'd only been a teenager. One of those monsters had been Jadeite, a sliver of his past self encapsulated in the darkness of Metalia. While Jadeite had tried to lure Rei Hino to death, Ando Tanaka had been in New York, unaware of who he was, and what a part of him was doing halfway across the globe. Ami and Umino had explained it at length to all of them, revealing the intricacies of magic older than any living thing in Tokyo, but to be honest, Minako had never quite understand the whole thing. To her, the shitennou were the men she had known in the Silver Millenium and the men whom she shared her life and friends with today.

But the point remained that Rei was strong, stronger than Ando knew, and that she could face far worse than a morning walking the grounds of her resurrected childhood home.

Heading for her room, Minako wondered what to do with the rest of the day. There was no work she could do until she had spoken to Rei or Ando, Usagi was taken care of, Ami was in Kyoto, and Makoto was working. She could always go to the café to kill some time, read a few papers while looking for any mention of the palace or Usagi or Mamoru or the end of the world.

There was a hole in her morning, a void she couldn't fill. Without having to check her Mickey Mouse wristwatch, she knew that it was quarter past nine. For over a decade, this had been the time when she'd taken her dog for a walk, come wind or weather.

Trying to pull herself together, Minako squared her shoulders. There was no point pining for things that could have been. Attila wasn't here because Takeshi had taken him with him. And Takeshi wasn't here not only because he couldn't be seen around the palace while being the head of the CTCT, but also because he had unleashed his powers in the presence of those he'd sworn to protect. Him not being there, she reasoned, was a good thing. Usagi's safety came first. She could learn to find something else to do in the morning, she could learn to live without Attila.

Attila, who despite his humongous size, was afraid of thunder, Spock, and most randomly, school buses. Attila, who liked to doze with his head on her feet. Attila, who knew that once Takeshi left for work in the morning, was allowed to sneak into the bed with Mina. A stubborn tear began to make its way down her cheek, but Minako wiped it away impatiently. Not today. Not here. Not with Ando in the rooms above her, being able to listen in on her every thought.

Shedding her pyjamas, Minako slipped into a pair of jeans, a thick knitted jumper of Makoto's that had somehow found its way to her room, and her beloved pink Uggs. Picking up her jacket, gloves, scarf, hat, and purse, Minako left.

* * *

><p>Critically examining the blue fondant for the last minute order of birthday cake her assistant had accepted, Makoto hoped she could finish on time. Hiro was picking up Aiko from kindergarten and Yoshi was with him anyway, but she'd like to be home before them. With Christmas just around the corner, there was no shortage of things she still needed to take care off. The presents for Hiro and Yoshi were already sorted, but she hadn't heard back from Setsuna about the pony she meant to take off of the other woman's hands. Tinkerbell, Hotaru's old pony, was supposed to become Tinkerbell, Aiko's new pony, on Christmas Day. Makoto didn't even want to begin to imagine the drama that would envelop them all if Aiko didn't get the pony everyone had all but promised her.<p>

Putting the fondant back into the bowl after deeming it satisfactory, she walked to the sink and washed her hands. There was a phone mounted to wall, and picking it up, she checked a number on a list tacked next to it. All the important numbers were on that list: delivery people, regular customers, senshi, kindergarten, Hiro's family, even the Tsukino house, Rei's father's assistant and Minako's parents. Dialling the number of Setsuna Meioh, Makoto decided that she would have to update the list. Senator Hino had died two years ago; she wouldn't need his assistant's number anymore.

Setsuna picked up just as Makoto was getting ready to hang up.  
>"Meioh," Setsuna's calm voice announced and Makoto smiled. She'd always liked the senshi of time; they had bonded deeply after Aiko's birth. Setsuna, having already raised one child, understand the joy and exhaustion of motherhood. Without a doubt, so did Michiru and Haruka, but the two steadfastly refused to speak to her.<p>

"Hello Setsuna, it's Makoto. I am sorry to bother you, but I was wondering about Tinkerbell."  
>Setsuna didn't reply immediately. Makoto frowned. "Setsuna?"<br>"Sorry, I was distracted," the senshi replied. "I take it you want to leave Tinkerbell in her stable?"  
>Makoto nodded, even though Setsuna couldn't see her. "Yes, that would be best, we can drive Aiko out there in the winter and come summer, we can reconsider moving the pony to Hiro's family's place. We'll probably get a second one for Yoshi anyway." Yoshi, like his sister, was taking after Hiro: he was completely mad about animals. She couldn't even get him down for his nap unless she had let him pet the dogs first.<p>

"I will talk to the stable's manager, let her know Tinkerbell is changing hands." Perfect, Makoto thought. That was Aiko's Christmas present taken care of. She would make Setsuna a nice cake and send it to her in the new year as a small thank you gift.  
>"Ah, lovely, thank you. And do you have a picture of Tinkerbell that we could stick on a Barbie toy horse just to make sure my daughter believes us when we tell her on Christmas Day? Otherwise I am quite afraid she will drown us all in her mighty tears."<br>Setsuna chuckled and for a second, it sounded as if there was a man in the background, laughing with her.  
>"Of course. Can I email it you?"<br>"Yes, yes, sure!"  
>"Wonderful. Makoto, please excuse me, but I do have to go."<br>"Flight to Sydney?" Makoto asked, twirling the phone cord around her finger. "Hotaru must be looking forward to having you over."  
>A second of silence. "I am staying in Tokyo over the holidays," Setsuna said, "and Hotaru is staying in Sydney; she is enjoying the sunshine and her new boyfriend."<br>Oh. Makoto imagined herself twenty years in the future, when her daughter was grown-up and abroad and not coming home for Christmas. She wrinkled her nose: what a ghastly idea. "I see," she said. Well, Setsuna could always spend the holidays with them, Hiro wouldn't mind. "Do you want to come over on Christmas Day?"  
>"What a wonderful offer. Alas, I am afraid I already have plans, but thank you, Makoto, that is very thoughtful of you."<br>"No problem," Makoto replied and saying goodbye, hung up. It seemed like Hotaru wasn't the only one with a new boyfriend, Makoto thought with a grin. Well, good for Setsuna. It must be hard, always being alone and somewhat removed from everyone else.

The egg-shaped kitchen timer went off. Snatching the oven gloves from the counter, Makoto returned to work. She still had a Barbie pony to buy.

* * *

><p>"You said what?" Rei fired at Ando as she strode into his bedroom. Ando shot up from the bed where he'd been reading the paper.<br>"Are you okay?"  
>"You cannot tell Usagi I am unhappy about the temple, Ando!"<br>Folding the paper back together, he took a moment to regroup. "So Minako called you." There was a small stab in his stomach; Ando wasn't used to Minako being anything other than his partner in crime. And now she had ratted him out, gone to Rei to complain about him. It stung.

"No, Mamoru did. Usagi was inconsolable."  
>"She's a grown-up," Ando insisted, but before he could go on, the cross look on Rei's face shut him up. He'd seen her sad, happy, amused, devastated, but he'd never seen her angry, at least not in this life and not at him. All her usual composure had slipped away, she had her hands balled into fists, her cheeks were an angry red, and her eyes were narrowed. In a way, she was just as scary as Takeshi had been the night he'd almost electrocuted Ando. Suddenly, he remembered that Rei commanded fire and that <em>they were standing on a volcano<em>. Not good.

"Do not tell me how to treat Usagi. Do not _dare _to tell me how to treat Usagi. This was a private matter and I do not appreciate you interfering, whatever your reasons may be."  
>"Whatever- whatever my reasons may be? YOU are my reason, your well-being. I saw how you looked and I knew how much it hurt, so I went to Minako to tell her to leave you the fuck alone." He tried to reach for her hand, but Rei snatched it back. She was still wearing the gloves he'd seen on television.<br>"It wasn't even Minako's ida to begin with! Makoto and I came up with it last night. Minako just asked me to contact my godfather, not to orchestrate an interview with him."  
>Ando blinked. "She didn't?"<br>"No. And don't you even _think_ about going to Makoto to complain about this."

Something close to dread settled in his stomach. Ando looked around the room, which was littered with old newspapers, books, and used coffee mugs. He finally spotted what he was searching for under yesterday's edition of the Tokyo Times. He reached for his mobile, fingers flying over the screen. "I need to apologise to Minako." He'd fucked up; badly.  
>"No, you need to go talk to Usagi. You will go to her and explain that you were just worried about me and that-"<br>"Of course I was worried about you," Ando replied impatiently. "Usagi knows I was worried about you, Rei, that's not exactly a secret. Is Mamoru with her now?"  
>"Yes."<br>"Then she's okay."  
>"I was just with her, she's anything but."<p>

A part of Ando wanted to point out that if Rei had been honest with Usagi from the start, admitted that she wanted to leave the temple as it was, they wouldn't have had to have this conversation now. Ando believed in being completely, utterly, uncompromisingly honest. Usagi deserved to know all the facts, it was why he had told her about the prophecy and Chibi-Usa as soon as he realised she'd been left in the dark. But unfortunately, he couldn't very well get on his high horse now because just as Rei wanted to protect Usagi from any and all pain, Ando wanted to do the same for Rei, and it had culminated in him attacking Minako.

He sighed. "Rei, I just want you to be happy. I hate that Usagi is upset, I don't want her to be upset, but I also want to know how _you_ are. And I don't want you to feel like you have to parade around in front of a camera if all it does is hurt you."  
>"We <em>all<em> have to make sacrifices, Ando. I am perfectly able and willing to be interviewed if it means Mamoru doesn't get stabbed again or Usagi can walk around the city without having to disguise herself. And I am even more willing to do it if it means that we can have a future in which Chibi-Usa and Aiko are happy and alive."  
>"Fine," he concurred, and reached for her hand again. This time, she didn't pull away.<br>"And now tell me how you are."  
>She shrugged. "I had a very unpleasant morning, but I've had worse."<br>He lowered his head, trying to catch her eyes. Rei looked at the floor.  
>"How about I take you out to lunch to make it better?"<br>"I'm not hungry," she said, but finally met his eyes.  
>"Does that mean you really aren't hungry or that you are passive aggressively refusing my company?"<br>Exasperated, she smiled at him. "I am not really that complicated, Ando. I'm just not hungry."  
>"So we're good? You're good?"<br>"Yes, we're good." As an afterthought, she added: "But we'd be better if I didn't know Usagi was crying because of something you said."  
>"Rei, she's not crying because of something I said. She's crying because she's afraid her daughter won't ever be born, because Takeshi and Minako are more or less broken up, because she can't paint the walls pink and because she couldn't do something nice for you."<br>Rei sighed. "I know, but it doesn't change the fact that she's still crying."

And because there wasn't anything he could do or say to make Usagi's tears go away, Ando simply pulled his girlfriend into a hug, rested his chin on her head and looked out of the window, watching the snow fall onto the crystal covered city.

* * *

><p>"I'll pay by credit card," Minako said, and pushed the card over to the salesman. Looking slightly distrustful, he accepted the card and ran it through the machine. It didn't happen very often; such a young woman coming into the dealership first thing in the morning, pointing to a car, saying "that one", and then handing him her credit card two minutes later. But this customer had been adamant: no test drive, no sales pitch, no additional information. She just wanted a car, period.<p>

As she was signing the insurance papers, he looked for a wedding band on her finger. None. So she lived alone. How could a woman her age, unmarried, afford a car like this? Almost sure that the card would be rejected, he was surprised when it was accepted without a glitch. A woman with a pink knitted hat with pompoms on it had just spent over 5,900,000 Yen on a car.

"Miss Aino," he began, his smile suddenly real, "is there anything else we here at BMW Tokyo can do for you?"  
>Looking over her shoulder at the black X5, Minako shook her head. "No, thanks."<p>

Carefully navigating the snow-covered streets, Minako drove through the city. She'd done it, she bought a car. Had she bought one a few years ago, it would have probably been a 'fun' car, a Volkswagen Beetle, a Mini Cooper. Something round and squishy in a bright colour and she would have probably added flower stickers to the car paint, or little stars.

But what she needed now was a car that would allow her to transport furniture from her house to the palace, a car that meant she didn't have to ask Hiro for his transporter when she got the rest of her stuff. A reliable car, one in which she could drive Usagi around, even in the dead of winter. Having gotten used to Takeshi's comfortable and luxurious X5, she didn't need to consider her options for too long.

There was a problem (she needed a spacious car she could drive easily) and a solution (buying what she liked and knew), case closed.

In her purse, carelessly thrown on the passenger seat, her phone began to ring. In a more or less desperate attempt to win back Aiko's affection, she'd allowed the little girl to choose her ringtone yesterday. It hadn't quite worked, Aiko had gone to bed without giving Minako a kiss goodnight, but luckily, Minako didn't mind being stuck the latest Disney movie's theme song regardless. It was actually quite catchy.

Fishing for the phone without taking her eyes off the road, she answered. "Hello?"  
>"I'm sorry," Ando said without preamble. Indicating left, Minako took a turn.<br>"Spoke to Rei, did you?"  
>"Yes."<br>Two more streets, and she'd be at their house. If this car were silver, and if the world was normal, Attila would now raise his head on the backseat, sniffing the air, wagging his tail. It was always when they turned this corner that her dog knew that they were almost home, even if he wasn't looking out of the window.

"Ando, I can't talk now," she said and disconnected, and after a moment's consideration, switched the phone off for good before tossing it back in her purse.

She was here.  
>Pulling up into the empty driveway, she turned off the engine and looked at her house. All the shutters were pulled down. They hadn't been last time she'd been here. Someone had also been by to shovel snow a few days ago because the coating was lighter in some places than in others.<p>

Her hands were shaking for just a moment before she steeled herself and climbed out the car, her feet sinking a few centimeters into the fresh snow. Takeshi wasn't here today; his car wasn't parked on the street and it was too cold for him to have walked with Attila. Not that she knew where he was staying. Mamoru had ruled out Elysion, Usagi had told her as much. Takeshi didn't have any friends bar their mutual ones and since Minako had been to Makoto's house just yesterday, she knew that he wasn't staying there. He was probably in a hotel somewhere. She could have checked and obtained the information quite easily (people rarely said no to her), but a part of her just didn't care. She just didn't care - he had left her, had left their life, and while she understood his reasons, all of them, she knew she wouldn't have done the same. It reminded her too much of how their relationship had been when they still went by Venus and Kunzite.

Making her way to the front door, climbing the familiar two steps, she fiddled with the key. She should have made a list of things she wanted to take with her today, but when she had left the palace earlier, she hadn't anticipated she'd go buy a car. The plan had been to take a walk, get away from Ando and Usagi, to catch some air and re-group.

Instead she had bought a car and was now turning the key in the lock, hoping against all reason that he was inside, waiting for her, telling her everything would be okay.

But the house was quiet, cold and dark. Flicking the lights on, she pushed the door shut with her foot. Normally, she would have taken the boots off, careful not to get watery footprints all over the rugs and the floor, but there was no-one here to care.

Ignoring the pang in her heart, she took a deep breath, forcing herself into the kind of efficiency she liked to imagine Ami displayed in the OR. She would take all her plants; there was no point leaving them here. She went into the cellar, fetched a large packing box, assembled it and began her work, methodically checking each room but Takeshi's study. There was a ficus in there, but Minako couldn't bring herself to go in.

Once she had gotten all the plants together, she put the smaller ones into the box and carried it to the car. The snow was falling more rapidly now and Minako hurried to get the box inside the trunk. She didn't want to risk the cardboard getting wet and all the plants landing on the ground. Once it was safely stored away, she fetched the two big plants from the living room. That was the plants taken care of; the first item to cross off her list.

The next packing box was filled with useful things from the kitchen. Her juicer, her favourite mugs (Takeshi's were sitting on the shelf, collecting dust) and both the coffee machine and the electric kettle. A few pots and pans, the bowl she liked to eat her cereal from, and a peeler. Finally, the box being almost too heavy to lift already, she decided to empty the small pantry too. The shelf where they kept the dog food was empty. Shoving cans of sweet corn, tomatoes, a few glass jars of jam, unopened packs of cereal and coffee into the box with more vigour than necessary, she left the kitchen.

By the time she was finished, the X5 was filled to the brim. She'd taken a few rugs, towels, blankets and pillows (but not the ones from the bedroom - she didn't want to sleep in blankets whose smell reminded her of him), and after a little hesitation, the mirror bolted to the wall in the hallway and the large flat screen television from the living room. Just a month ago, she had shied away from taking anything off the walls, feeling it would make the new living arrangements too permanent. Now, a month later, a month of silence and worry, she no longer felt those compunctions. Her life was in the palace now, and if she had to be there alone because Takeshi refused to come in to see her, then she would at least be as comfortable as she could.

And just like that, something inside her gave way.  
>Switching her phone back on, she typed a quick message, curt, to the point, no room for tears and explanations and enquiries. Just the one thing that she needed to adapt to this new life.<p>

_I want Attila._  
>Hitting <em>send<em>, she climbed into the car. No more looking back.

* * *

><p>Christmas came and went.<p>

Aiko got her much anticipated pony.  
>Ando gave Rei a charm bracelet he had put together on his journey.<br>Usagi regained her smile; Mamoru put on a Santa hat.  
>Umino's grandmother taught Mrs. Mizuno and her newest granddaughter-in-law how to knit a sweater.<p>

And Minako Aino waited for her phone to ring.  
>It didn't.<p>

* * *

><p>***Two Years Later***<p>

He could hear his secretary's phone ring. Checking the time on his watch, Takeshi smiled.  
>"Councillor Nakamura, it's your girlfriend calling," his secretary announced, cheerfully leaning back in his chair so as to meet his boss' eyes. The young man, fresh out of college, lacked the decorum Takeshi usually preferred his staff to have, but he was so strongly pro-crystal and pro-Chibas that Takeshi was willing to cut him some slack. Especially on a day like this.<p>

"Put her through, please," he said and closed the door that connected his office with the secretary's ante-room. His secretary did as he was told and a small green light on Takeshi's phone began to blink. He picked the receiver up, leaning himself against the edge of the table.

"Hello."  
>"How did it go?"<br>"They will make an official announcement tomorrow, but the motion has been accepted unanimously. Usagi and Mamoru will be styled as King and Queen from January 1st onwards. They will succeed the emperor upon his death, establishing a new line of succession. Their legislative powers are dependant on the parliament, but they have veto and proposal rights."  
>"It's everything we wanted."<br>"It is," Takeshi confirmed, for the first time in weeks feeling like something had gone right. This was what they had all worked for: Mamoru and Usagi official recognition as assets to the state, as Japan's future.  
>"Let's go out for dinner to celebrate tonight." He smiled at her elation; it was so rare for her to let herself be carried away like this. Unfortunately, he couldn't indulge her, as much as he wanted to.<p>

"I can't, I have a meeting with Mamoru, Usagi, Minako and Ando to discuss the press release." And just like that, their happy moment was over.

She was silent for a second, and both of them were overly aware of it passing without comment. "Of course," she finally said, her voice as calm and smooth as it had been the first time they'd met. "I will see you at home."  
>"See you at home, Setsuna," he replied and hung up.<p>

Time to get back to work.

*** _End of Chapter Nine_***


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>The car moved slowly through the mid-afternoon traffic. The ride from the CTCT headquarters to the palace in the city centre was a long and arduous one, but since Takeshi wasn't driving himself, his patience wasn't overly tested.<p>

Sitting comfortably in the backseat while his chauffeur manoeuvred around honking cabs, crowded buses and parking SUVs, Takeshi checked his emails. His secretary had not yet sorted through them, which meant that there were more digital New Year's cards littering his inbox than real news. He preferred his inbox to be tidy, the most important emails directly in sight. Now he had to wade through 174 mails just to find the ones that demanded his immediate and undivided attention and all of that on the small screen of his Blackberry.

There were several emails from other members of parliament, most of them regarding tomorrow's announcement. As member of parliament and head of the CTCT, it was Takeshi people turned to alleviate their last minute doubts, their worries, their fears. And of those there were many.

Sighing, Takeshi selected one and began to type an answer.

Since autumn, he had repeated the same words over and over. No, the Chibas would not assume a position of total control. No, there were no plans to make Mamoru or Usagi Chiba mayor of Tokyo. No, they would not have the power to dissolve the parliament. And no, they were absolutely not from out of space.

That one, even after two years, still came up with alarming frequency. While the usefulness of the crystal and of those who were able to yield it was by now undisputed, the source of their abilities was not. Just last year, Usagi had even allowed a scientist to draw some of her blood and test it, all on live television. The idea, Takeshi believed, had been Minako's. The test confirmed what Usagi and Mamoru had claimed all along: they were very much human. Naturally, Ami and Mamoru had run the same test previously and luckily for all of them, magic was not something that manifested in DNA.

The televised test had a calming effect on most people, but unfortunately, not on all. But where they were doubtful of the Chibas, they trusted Takeshi Nakamura. He was known for his analytical mind, his fearless criticism, his reliability. Umino had been right: people needed a rock to turn to and they found it in Takeshi. His political rise had been fast and uncompromising. Starting his career with the founding of the CTCT two years ago, he had been elected into parliament the year after, and now there was talk of making him the new Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications once Minister Hisoka retired in February. The Prime Minister had already all but promised Takeshi the post, and there was no doubt that the former architect would accept.

"Sir, we are nearly there. Do you want me to use the front or one of the back entrances?"  
>Looking up from his phone, Takeshi frowned. "Front."<br>It would be good if people saw him enter; it was an unofficial confirmation of the rumours about Usagi's and Mamoru's new political status. Slipping his phone into the inner pocket of his jacket, he straightened his tie, buttoned his coat, and as soon as the car came to a stop, climbed out.

The cameras were instantly in his face, but by now, he was almost used to them. While the reporters rained down questions, he inclined his head to those whose faces were familiar and made his way to the large front door. There were guards on either side. It had been almost impossible to get funding for the security personnel, but an attack on the palace last year had quickly paved the way. Even though people were wary of Mamoru, not a single soul in Tokyo wanted the nice, blonde woman he was married to to get hurt. And it had been Usagi the attacker had targeted. Had Ando not reacted so quickly, the bullet would have done a lot more than just graze her arm.

Showing his ID to the guard on the right, Takeshi patiently waited to get clearance. He was led into the ante-room, where he had to walk through two metal detectors. One guard took his coat, another his briefcase, and a third quickly patted him down. Too quickly - had be been carrying a knife strapped to his ankle, it wouldn't have been found. He made a mental note of the guard's name; Haruka would take care of a replacement.

Having been given the okay, he slipped back into his jacket, fastening the buttons and set off for the big board room. The board room would at some point revert back to being a throne room, but the time for that hadn't come yet.

He met no more guards on his way, but Takeshi knew that the deeper one advanced into the palace, the stronger the magical properties of it became. At the heart of the palace, Usagi and Mamoru didn't need gun-carrying guards to protect them; Umino's and Ami's countless charms did it for them.

Theirs was a magic that was perfectly controlled, each charm as reliable as clockwork. Perhaps it was easier for them than him because Ami and Umino made use of their abilities on a daily basis. Practice makes perfect, after all.

* * *

><p><em>Hands shoved deep into his pockets, the wind biting through his white shirt, Takeshi walked down the street, steadily putting distance between himself and Makoto's café. He could still feel his fingers tingle; the raw electricity trying to claw its way out.<em>

_For just one moment, he had lost control. One moment in which he had almost murdered one of his men. In the presence of his king._

_If Mamoru had been hurt... it was unthinkable. Takeshi knew that he needed to remove himself from his friend's presence: he could not return to Mamoru until he was sure he had his powers under control._

_The question, he realised while walking through the night, was where he could go. And really, there was only one place._

* * *

><p>Just as Takeshi put his hand on the door handle, it was pulled open from the inside, revealing Mamoru.<p>

"I thought I heard the guards quiver in their boots," the king said, his dark blue eyes crinkling with mirth.  
>Takeshi smiled. "I didn't say anything to them; that's entirely Haruka's business."<br>"They're dead scared of you anyway," Mamoru insisted and briefly hugged Takeshi, patting him on the back. Takeshi reciprocated the greeting, and together, the two men walked into the disguised throne room.

The large boardroom table looked a little lost in the grandiose room, but at least it was better than a throne with a red carpet leading up to it. Usagi, Minako, and Ando were already seated at one end, talking animatedly. Ando was just reaching over the table to pinch Usagi's cheek, causing Minako and the queen to laugh.

"I'm glad you're here; they've been like this all day," Mamoru confided, sounding amused and exasperated at the same time.  
>"I can see why that would be taxing," Takeshi replied mildly just as Usagi tossed a pen at Minako's head. The three of them looked like siblings, with their blond heads together like that, their laughter easily ringing in the room.<p>

"Look who's arrived," Mamoru announced and three pairs of blue eyes fastened themselves on Takeshi. For just a moment, he felt like fidgeting, but he willed himself to be calm and instead offered them a greeting before taking his seat to Usagi's right.  
>"The man of the hour," Ando said, and Takeshi wasn't sure if he was being mocked or not. "Well done."<br>"Thank you."  
>Usagi beamed. "I always knew you could fix this for us, Takeshi." She leaned herself against his side for a moment before pulling back, genuine gratitude written all over her face.<br>"Excuse me, but I don't think he did this alone," Ando corrected. "Who told you to go adopt all those kittens and then pose with them for Hello Magazine? I believe that has been the key move here, the secret of our success. The kittens made you Queen."  
>Mamoru rolled his eyes. "That, or the fact that we have a man on the inside."<br>"Exactly," Minako chimed in, her voice sugar sweet. "How _is_ Senator Uro?"  
>"That's not who I meant," Mamoru replied, sounding cross, but Minako just batted her lashes. Usagi giggled. "Those eyebrows." Picking up two pens from the table, she held them over her own brow, careful that they met in the middle. "They're this big, I swear!"<p>

Mamoru opened his mouth and began to admonish his wife, while Ando made use of the opportunity to download a picture of the Senator. Opening it with the Paint programme on his tablet computer, he quickly drew even larger eyebrows and then showed it to the royal couple. "He's a beauty, isn't he?"  
>Now even Mamoru had to laugh, and amidst all the hooplah, Takeshi chanced a quick look at Minako. She met his eyes and arched a brow.<p>

* * *

><p><em>It was hard to surprise a woman who guarded (and thus watched) the portals of time and space, but as Takeshi knocked on Setsuna's door, he knew he had managed it. The senshi was already in her dressing gown, her black hair fanning over her silk-clad shoulders. Only the hall light was lit, it's lamps having been switched on as she had hurried to the door.<em>

_"Usagi?" Setsuna asked, a note of panic in her voice, but when Takeshi shook his head, she visibly relaxed, resuming the calm dignity he had come to admire about her._

_"Come in," she allowed and grateful, Takeshi did._

* * *

><p>They wrapped the work part of the meeting fairly quickly; the royal couple would make a televised statement tomorrow evening, humbly expressing their gratitude for the parliament's display of trust. They would not be present at the actual press conference wherein the Prime Minister announced the constitutional amendment that allowed the Chibas to succeed the Emperor once the time came.<p>

Later in the week, there'd be a photo OP with the Emperor, his family, the Chibas, and a few choice members of parliament. Takeshi promised Mamoru that he'd be there.

"Dinner tomorrow?" Mamoru asked, and Takeshi nodded.  
>"I've already blocked the evening. Shall we meet here at seven thirty?"<br>"Sounds good," the king agreed, and, with a last pat on his friend's back, disappeared through one of the many hidden doors that led him and his wife back to their apartment, a happy bouncing Usagi by his side.

Ando and Minako were assembling the files on the desk, a disorganised pile of press releases, photos, magazines, contracts and sweet wrappers. A phone began to ring. Both Minako and Ando checked their mobiles, but it was Ando's that was blinking, vibrating and ringing.  
>"Rei," Ando said simply and accepted the call, making for the door to have some privacy.<p>

Takeshi moved back to the table and began to help Minako with the files.  
>"It's okay, I can manage," she said, keeping her eyes on the table.<br>"I don't mind."  
>She looked up. "How's Setsuna?"<br>Takeshi cleared his throat. "She's fine. Very happy about today's events."  
>"Of course. Wish her my best."<br>"And how's-"  
>"Good, thank you," she cut him off and took the files from his hands. "Thanks for your help."<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>I need your help," Takeshi said, his hands folded, sitting on Setsuna's dark leather couch.<br>"I need you to take me somewhere where I can practise my- powers," he finally finished.  
>"And by somewhere you presumably mean another dimension," Setsuna asked, brows arched.<br>"That would be ideal."_

_"What happened?" Her question was simple, the answer was simple, but Takeshi just couldn't find the words. How could he tell her, could he tell anyone (how could he tell Minako, his subconscious whispered) that he had almost killed Ando tonight?_

_"Let me rephrase," Setsuna said, her face carefully blank. "On whom did you turn?"_  
><em>This time, he could answer. "Ando."<em>  
><em>She snorted. "Well, that wouldn't have been too big a loss."<em>  
><em>Despite himself, he smiled, but the moment of levity didn't last long. Ando was trouble, he was annoying, rude, and reckless, but he was a shitennou. "He did provoke me, but it shouldn't have happened. Especially not around Mamoru and Usagi."<em>  
><em>"Was anyone hurt?"<em>  
><em>"No."<em>  
><em>"Why not?"<em>  
><em>He gave a little shrug. "Luck."<em>

_"I'd say it must have been more than that. I take it you regained control of your powers before things got out of hand?"  
>"A momentary blackout of the whole street might indicate that things had gotten out of hand already."<br>Leaning back, legs crossed, Setsuna shook her head. She looked decidedly unimpressed. "I am not going to teleport you to another dimension just because Ando got what was coming to him."  
>"Setsuna, you barely know him." It was true; Ando and Setsuna had only met a few times, had only once spoken in depth, and even then, if Ando was to be believed, by his standard, he had behaved.<br>"I watch, Takeshi, I listen. I remember. It's what I do."_

_"The last time I was here, you called me by another name. If you base your opinions of us on our past selves, then I believe you should turn me out this instant."_  
><em>She shook her head, something like compassion in her eyes. "If Ando had lost control of his powers, I can guarantee that someone would have died. You lost control, and nobody even suffered a scratch."<em>  
><em>"Mind-reading does not lead to death," Takeshi corrected her, and wearily ran a hand through his hair.<em>  
><em>"Fire does."<em>

* * *

><p>When he pushed the door to the penthouse open, he found his home awash with candlelight and the soft sounds of Mendelssohn.<p>

Setsuna was in the living room, reading the paper, a glass of red wine sitting on a coaster on the glass coffee table. He bent down and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Good evening."  
>"Good evening." She smiled up at him. "The wine is in the kitchen."<br>Shedding coat, jacket and tie, and depositing all in their large walk-in closet, he returned to the kitchen. He picked up the bottle; skimming over the label. Good choice. While he filled his glass, he called to her. "How did it go on your end?"  
>A rustling sound told him that she was putting the paper away. "Good. I will succeed you as the head of the CTCT once you move onto the ministry, the paperwork will be on your desk by Monday. I also visited Ami in the lab, but the research hasn't yielded anything new."<br>He frowned. "Nothing?"

He returned to the living room, taking a sip of the wine as he sat down next to her.  
>"No. Mamoru is helping too, but he and Ami think they have reached an impasse. The crystal's reconstructive properties cannot be channeled and extracted. Their next step is to see whether they can find evidence of Mamoru's healing powers in his blood and then use that."<br>Takeshi's face clouded over. She smiled and reached over to stroke his cheek.  
>"I knew you wouldn't like that."<br>"I don't think it's wise to let people think that Mamoru's blood is a panacea."  
>"It's secret research. Ami has it under wraps."<br>"It's bad enough that everyone knows about his healing abilities by now," Takeshi grumbled, causing Setsuna to chuckle.  
>"Do you seriously think that if people didn't know, you would have attended a parliamentary meeting in which a constitutional change in Mamoru's and Usagi's favour was made today?"<br>He smiled. "Probably not."  
>"Aha," she said.<p>

Mamoru had gone public with his powers last year. When it became more and more and obvious that the people of Tokyo were just not warming to him, Makoto had suggested that he should do in the open what he had covertly done in secret for years. Mamoru never healed someone whom normal medicine could help, but whenever a patient of his was beyond hope, science at an end, he had used his powers. It didn't work on every patient or every disease, but he tried. Old age he could do nothing against; there had been no helping Rei's grandfather.

Now he spent two afternoons a week in the hospital, where he tried to treat those who'd been told to give up long ago. People travelled far and wide to meet him, but Mamoru could do no more than those two days. Healing was difficult, exhausting, demanding, and if he overtaxed himself, dangerous. It was why Umino always accompanied him, an observant pair of eyes in the background. Officially, Umino was Mamoru's secretary, so no-one questioned his presence.

The last few bars of Mendelssohn's _Songs Without Words Opus 30_ played and Setsuna got up to change the CD. Takeshi followed her with his eyes; admiring her graceful movements. That reminded him... "The Emperor's team has suggested that Mamoru and Usagi should attend the Winter Ball, and then give one of their own a little while later, perhaps in spring."

Setsuna turned, her red eyes skimming the back of a CD she'd picked up. "Mhmm. The Emperor's team? Sounds like Minako to me."  
>"She's not in the Emperor's employ."<br>"I bet she has someone planted there though," Setsuna disagreed, putting the CD down and selecting another. "It's a good idea."

"So will you go with me?" Takeshi asked, trying to hide his smile. Setsuna looked up.  
>"Are you asking me as your colleague from the CTCT or are you asking me as your partner?" There was no judgment in her voice; just mild curiosity. Most people at the CTCT didn't even know that its director and co-director were a couple since neither Takeshi nor Setsuna were the sort of people who invited easy conversation about their private lives or who enjoyed public displays of affection.<br>"I am asking to take you dancing."  
>She smiled. "Are you a good dancer?"<br>His response was a shrug. "Good enough to not embarrass anyone. From what I've seen, better than Hiromasa or Umino."

She smiled and slipped a CD into the player. Liszt, a waltz in A-Minor. Extending a hand to him, she beckoned him to get up as the first piano tunes began to play.  
>"I hardly think our living room is big enough to waltz in," Takeshi pointed out, but got up anyway, setting his glass down.<p>

Taking her left hand in his own while placing his right on her back, just below her shoulder blades, he pulled her closer. Slowly, they began to dance, swaying together to the sound of the music.

* * *

><p><em>After a rather restless night in Setsuna's guest room, Takeshi rose at five the next morning. Not wanting to wake Setsuna by moving around her flat in the darkness of the early November morning, he dressed himself in yesterday's clothes and simply came to stand by the window and watched the city that was sprawled out in front of him. Few windows shone in the darkness, no cars moved around the streets except for the odd delivery van or two, and in far distance, the palace stood, dark and foreboding, holding the prince whose safety he had risked instead of protected last night.<em>

_Goosebumps rose on Takeshi's skin. He longed to go for a long run in the cold, dark morning, __anything to clear his head, but even this little comfort was out of reach. All he had were the clothes on his body, the shoes in the hallway, and his phone and house keys on the small nightstand. His running clothes were at home, as was his dog, and presumably his fiancée, if he could still call Minako that._

_Almost overwhelmed by the despair that hit him where it hurt, he forced himself to calm down. He couldn't panic, he needed to plan his next move._

_The senshi of time and space had made it clear that she would not take him to another dimension and deposit him there as he'd hoped. Instead, she had gotten the guest room ready and told him he was welcome to stay as long as he liked. Looking around the room, tastefully decorated in white and grey, he realised that he might have to take her up on the offer._

_Going home seemed out of the question. If he saw Minako and they got in a fight, well, he didn't even want to imagine hurting her like he'd almost hurt Ando last night. Their relationship had not yet recovered from her not telling him about the Outers' warning, but going to Ando instead. And of course, there was no question on which side of the fight between himself and Ando she would come down on. They had been together for fifteen years, engaged for three, and in all that time, he had never seen Minako use magic, not accidentally, not deliberately. She kept her magical side firmly under wraps, and he didn't want to imagine how horrified she would be to learn that he could not do the same._

_Things between them were tense enough as it was. No, returning to their house was out of the question. But then he would have had to move out anyway, he tried to tell himself, ignoring the heavy feeling in his heart. Nobody must know that he was one of Mamoru's men, or his whole work at the CTCT became obsolete._

_The CTCT. He ran a hand over his face, feeling a thousand years old. Today was Sunday, so he did not have to go in, but come tomorrow, he had to return to his job, absolutely had to. It was imperative that people saw him as reliable. If he did not come in the first day after Mamoru's official invitation to tour the palace had been made, then his co-workers would assume that he too was scared._

_A knock at the door disrupted his thoughts._  
><em>"Come in," he called, and Setsuna pushed the door open. She was already dressed too.<em>  
><em>"There is coffee in the kitchen," she offered and Takeshi nodded.<em>

_Two mugs, a coffee pot, and a small jug of milk were set out on the table by the window. Taking a seat, Takeshi wondered if Setsuna always rose this early, or if it was due to his presence in her house. Back before he had known Minako, Takeshi had gotten up at this time of day every day. He'd had his routine, a schedule he liked to stick to. And nightmares of the past that banished all hope for the future. Now the future was here, and he found himself faced with nightmares of a new kind._

_"I remember you take yours black," Setsuna said, as she filled her own mug with coffee before adding a generous amount of milk. Helping himself to the dark liquid, Takeshi inhaled. If he could not go for a run, then this was the next best thing to restore his concentration._

_"I do."_  
><em>"I have been thinking," the senshi said. "Will you still go to the CTCT tomorrow?"<em>  
><em>"Yes," Takeshi confirmed.<em>  
><em>"But you are not returning to your house?"<em>  
><em>"I will have to, briefly," he amended, wondering how to minimise the risk of running into Minako.<em>

_"I need to fetch my dog, and some clothes."  
>"And where will you take clothes and dog to?"<br>"I would like to take you up on your offer," Takeshi admitted, "but of course I understand if you have changed your mind. And there is Attila to consider."  
>"I happen to like dogs," Setsuna said with a little shrug. "And since we share the same place of work from tomorrow onwards, you staying here is reasonable."<br>A question dug itself to the front of his mind. "Aren't you the least bit afraid of me?"_

_Under the halogen light of the ceiling lamp, her red eyes glinted. "No, Kunzite, I am not. You paid, you learned. It won't happen again." This time, he didn't protest being called by the old name. He looked down at his mug._

_"And also," Setsuna continued matter-of-fact, "if you do lose control, I can teleport you into space in a second, which means that here, you aren't a risk."_  
><em>He looked up. "Promise me."<em>  
><em>"Promise you what?"<em>  
><em>"That if I ever become a danger again, you will take care of it. By whichever means necessary."<em>  
><em>"Are you asking me to kill you?"<em>  
><em>"If the need arises, yes."<em>  
><em>Had he asked the same thing of Mamoru or of Umino, he knew they would refuse, but Setsuna Meioh did not. Instead, she nodded. "I promise."<em>

* * *

><p>The announcement of the constitutional change and Usagi's and Mamoru's subsequent statement were well received. Takeshi kept monitoring the major newspapers, checking their websites every ten minutes. So far, no outcry. He had ordered two interns to watch the most important TV newscast, and to report back to him with everything that was either extremely positive, or extremely negative in its attitude. Seeing how the CTCT had made an official recommendation in favour of the change, this focus on the matter was nothing suspicious.<p>

Takeshi had played his cards well; nobody had ever questioned his integrity, his loyalty to Tokyo. Of course, his loyalty really lay with Mamoru, but that was a secret he had become very adept at hiding. Whenever the two appeared in public together, a not too rare occurrence given how their professional lives intersected, both men adopted a polite, but unfeeling facade.

His intercom blinked. Pushing the button, he answered. "Yes?"  
>"Councillor Nakamura, there is a delivery for you."<br>He frowned. His secretary knew better than to bother him with this sort of thing. "I'm busy, accept it for me and bring it in later."  
>"She says that won't do, I'd eat it before you ever even laid eyes on it."<br>Takeshi laughed. "Send Mrs. Obuchi right in, and bring some coffee, please."

His office door opened and in walked Makoto, carrying a big paper bag with her café's logo printed on it.  
>"Makoto," Takeshi said with warmth, and got up to give her a hug. She was cold to the touch, having probably walked to his office. Her café was only ten minutes away, a small distance he himself crossed whenever possible to say hello and to get a little something to eat.<br>"I figured you'd be too busy to stop by, so here, it's your lunch."

Peering into the bag, he inhaled the wonderful smell of fresh brownies. He also spotted two large paninis, salad, a banana, and a yoghurt. "Do you have time to eat with me?"  
>"There's not enough for two!" Makoto protested, but Takeshi simply took the bag from her hands and then helped her out of her coat, hanging it on the clothes rack by the door. "It's raining again?"<br>"All morning. The roads are so icy, I thought it better to walk. I can't wreck my delivery van."  
>The door opened again and his secretary hurried inside, bearing a tray with mugs and a coffee pot. There were also some biscuits and two small bottles of water. "Thank you," Takeshi said, and the secretary disappeared again.<p>

"That one's not nearly as scared of you as the last one," Makoto noted, causing Takeshi to chuckle.  
>"I don't think he's afraid of me at all. Just yesterday, he asked me where I like to 'hang' on the weekends."<br>"Oh, I would have paid good money to see your face," Makoto laughed. She sat down on the visitor's chair and began to divide the food into two fairly unequal piles. Takeshi let her go on for a moment before rearranging everything until it was perfectly balanced. "You're horrible," Makoto said fondly and smiled at him.

They began to eat in companionable silence. When they had finished sandwiches and salad and moved on to the brownies, Makoto resumed the conversation. "Aiko has asked me whether you could come and pick her up from school on Friday."  
>"Of course. When?" He had a full day on Friday, but he could shift a few meetings around and could do the paperwork in the evening. Takeshi always made time for his god-daughter, only too aware that some day in the future, she would rather spend it with her friends than with her boring old uncle.<br>"One thirty." Aiko, now six years old, was in her first year of school. She was a smart girl, but like her father, had some difficulty sitting still. And with a mother's instinct, Makoto knew that something else was making her little girl's life harder. "I think there are some boys who are bullying her, but she doesn't want to tell Hiro and me."  
>"In that case, how about I take her to lunch after school, perhaps she'll open up to me."<br>"Aww, Takeshi, that would be wonderful," Makoto said, before a glimmer of mischief sparked in her eyes. "But if she tells you, remember that the bullies are children too. Don't give them too big a scare."  
>He chuckled. "I would have relayed any information to you, but I am just as happy to help her sort it out by coming to fetch her while glaring at every boy in sight."<p>

* * *

><p><em>Takeshi wasn't a man who got scared easily, but as he opened the door to his house, he couldn't help that his heart beat faster.<em>

_He flipped on the lights, looking for any evidence that Minako was here. He'd called ahead, but nobody had answered the landline. That in itself didn't mean much, it was barely six in the morning and Minako was quite apt at ignoring the phone when she wanted to sleep. But remembering her hurt look when he'd told her it was better to move out, Takeshi was quite sure that much like himself, she wouldn't have slept at all._

_He never meant for her to misunderstand him, not for a moment thinking about breaking up with her. Leaving their home behind was difficult for him too, but he felt that he owed it to Mamoru, to Aiko, even to Minako to do his very best to help with the creation of a peaceful Crystal Tokyo. That, most unfortunately, meant the CTCT, and by extension, leaving his job, his house, and most of his life behind. Takeshi had very little patience for politicians and the thought of having to become one was repellent to him. But Umino was right, it was where he would be most useful._

_Checking the living-room, he found it empty. Neither Attila nor Minako were on the large red couch. He made his way upstairs. The door to the bedroom was open; Minako liked to sleep with it closed. She wasn't here. He went in anyway, finding Attila in the bed, snoring lightly. His ears had gotten so bad that he hadn't even heard Takeshi enter and move around the house._

_Kneeling down, he reached out and petted the dog's inky fur. Attila drowsily opened his eyes._  
><em>"Hello boy," Takeshi murmured, scratching Attila behind the ear. As a reward, the old Great Dane tried to lick his hand, his tail beating a happy rhythm on the mattress. To Attila, it didn't matter that Takeshi was Kunzite, that he had powers so scary that they had made Usagi cry and Rei intervene. To Attila, he was just his owner, the man who walked and fed and petted him.<em>

_He felt a lump in his throat and swallowed._  
><em>Time to pack.<em>

_Time to leave._

* * *

><p>Takeshi arrived at the palace just in the nick of time. Predictably, the front entrance was swarming with reporters and paparazzi alike and since tonight's meeting with Mamoru was personal, not professional, he had made plans to enter unnoticed.<p>

He had given his driver the evening off, and had carefully navigated the icy roads to the palace himself, bypassing the circus in the front. He knew that as soon as he got close to one of the back entrances, especially those of the secret variety, Umino's spells would swallow him up.

Parking his car, knowing that nobody would see it now, he climbed out and entered the palace. The secret entrances were exactly like they had been two years ago; there was no security, no cameras, no metal detectors, but then there didn't need to be. It wasn't possible to enter unless you were a senshi or a shitennou; everyone else just saw blank and shimmering walls where for him, a door materialised out of thin air. Not even Aiko or Yoshi could pass, be they alone or accompanied by their parents. Mrs. Mizuno too had tried to enter this way, aided by her daughter and son-in-law. It hadn't worked. Umino could create absolute spells that provided a hard and necessary line of defense, but he could not alter them to let in those they held dear.

Glancing down at his Omega Speedmaster (a birthday gift from Setsuna), he realised that he was running late. Despite Makoto's warning about the condition of the streets, he hadn't factored in that the drive to the palace was going to take him longer.

As the turned a corner, he heard Haruka's voice call out to him. Of course. Haruka had a knack for always finding him when he least wished to be found, which was chiefly on his few evenings off. He stopped and turned, watching the senshi descend a flight of stairs. "Sorry, I didn't catch that," Takeshi said, feeling a little impatient. Mamoru was probably already waiting in coat and scarf.  
>Haruka didn't speak again until she was standing in front of him, slowly having meandered towards him. Dressed in a sharply tailored black suit, she tossed her short blonde hair back. "I said, 'I fired him.'"<br>He looked at her, uncomprehending, before it finally clicked. "The security guard."  
>"Of course. Who else?"<br>"Good call," Takeshi said, careful not to overpraise. Haruka was a prickly personality, it wouldn't do to let her think he was patronising her.

They eyed each other. Even though things had changed, there was little love lost between the head of the shitennou and the senshi of Uranus. She had come to accept him as a useful person to have around, and out of all his men, it was him she trusted most. Haruka was one of the few people who were completely immune to Umino's charm, presumably because she disapproved so intensely of his friendship to Ando.

"Mamoru is waiting for me," Takeshi said, hoping to make his excuse.  
>"Ah, yes," Haruka replied, and rocked on her heels. "You can't take him to dinner tonight."<br>Feeling his temper rise, Takeshi was careful to maintain a calm look. "And why is that?" he asked coolly.  
>"Because," said Haruka, "we have heard whispers about some underground movement following the declaration today. Until we know what's going on, Mamoru can't leave the palace."<p>

All thoughts of dinner forgotten, Takeshi glared at her. "Why wasn't I informed?"  
>"Because I've got it. Rei is gathering information as we speak. Mamoru and Usagi, thanks for asking, are safe where they are."<br>"What do we know about this movement? Who's at its head?"  
>This time, Haruka looked pissed off. "If I knew, I'd have told you."<br>"Has Mamoru been told?"  
>"I thought I'd leave that to you."<br>"Usagi?"  
>"Still in the dark. Rei knows. Hiromasa knows, naturally."<br>"Why nat-" Takeshi broke off mid-sentence, understanding sneaking up on him. "When you say whispers, you mean that he _heard whispers_."  
>Haruka nodded. "Very convenient, that talent of his. He's in the highest tower right now, trying to gather more, but I don't think it's happening. He's gotten us a warning, but that's about it."<p>

Making a quick decision to talk to Hiro first and then seek out Mamoru, Takeshi nodded. "Keep me informed," he said, and Haruka bristled at the order. "I don't think-"  
>"Haruka."<br>"Fine. Yes. I will keep you informed. I can't believe people think of you as patient."  
>Not bothering with a reply, Takeshi strode up the staircase Haruka had descended from.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Sweat was running down his face. The space around them was empty, completely void of any living, breathing thing but them. Behind him, Setsuna - no, Sailor Pluto, Takeshi corrected himself, was waving her staff and the mist around his ankles rose up and took shape once more.<em>

_For hours, they had been at it. One by one, Setsuna plucked the worst moments of the Silver Millennium out of thin air, letting them replay in front of him. Takeshi had watched Nephrite die at the hands of Venus and Jupiter, saw himself taking the life of Mercury, looking so much younger than Ami did, watched Mars set fire to the man whose face Ando wore today, and finally, he had seen Endymion and Serenity bleed to death while Beryl laughed. This was a memory he had relived a thousand times over since remembering his past. It was Endymion's death that haunted him because even in the thick of the fight, he had never wanted his prince to get hurt, had never even considered that a man who could heal others could not heal himself. Back then, Kunzite had died at the hands of Mars, never quite realising that his prince was gone too._

_The mist coiled back, but Takeshi shook his head. "More," he demanded, his voice raspy from exertion. He outstretched his hands, examining them. No electricity, not a glimmer of it. But he couldn't be sure that this control would last. There were more memories she could call back to life, more moments of agony, more reason for him to lose it._

_Behind him, Pluto acquiesced._

_This time, it was Venus, hell bent on avenging the princess she hadn't been able to save. And Kunzite in the background, sending a burst of electricity after her. Beryl fell at Venus' hands, but the senshi of love stumbled too, clutching a hole in her side. Her blood dripped to the floor, and then she fell, not to rise again._

_Takeshi's hands were shaking._

_The mists swirled and rearranged itself. A hotel room. Ando flicking through the channels, Minako by his side. He was in boxers and a shirt, she in her underwear. The window was open, the sun just setting. Ando rubbed at his eyes, and Minako leaned her head on his shoulders._

_The mists moved again. A bathroom. Minako in the tub, water raining on her head. Ando offering her a towel. Minako getting up, naked. Ando wrapping her in the soft white towel, rubbing her arms. Tears._

_A burst of electricity shot from his fingertips, ripping into the image. It dissolved into smoke, curling downwards until the mist swallowed it up again._

_"That was today," Pluto announced quietly from behind him._

_Rage rose from deep within him, but Takeshi fought it, fought it with everything he got. What he had seen meant nothing. Nothing. Minako wasn't like him; her allowing Ando to see her naked was of no consequence. He loved Rei. Rei, whose rejection had driven him to New York with Minako. Where they had apparently slept in one bed, in underwear._

_The mist took shape once more, twisting upwards and spreading. Once more, an image of Minako began to appear, slowly taking shape and colour. Not caring to see anything else, Takeshi stood up straight, letting his left hand drop to his side, leaving his right outstretched. He was done here. Control was not just about taking everything that was coming at him while holding still, but also deciding when enough was enough. Taking aim, he closed his eyes, concentrated and let the energy build._

_And then he let go, blasting the forming image into oblivion with just a tip of his finger._

* * *

><p>He ran into Hiro on the way up. The furniture designer was slowly making his way down the stairs, his steps uncertain.<br>"Hiro."  
>His friend stared straight past him, clearly in a stupor.<br>"Hiromasa," Takeshi said sharply.  
>That brought him back.<p>

"Anything new?" Takeshi asked, this time kindly.  
>Hiro shook his head, running both hands over his bearded face. "No."<br>Taking in the wrinkled shirt, the bags under his eyes, the colourlessness of his skin, Takeshi remembered how hard Nephrite had always pushed himself, and how dearly it had cost him.  
>"Hiro, go get Ami to drive you home."<br>"It's fine, I just need to get a coffee, is all," Hiro muttered, but steadied himself against the wall.  
>"I'm not asking, Hiromasa."<br>"Mamoru-" Hiro began to protest.  
>"I am taking care of Mamoru. Rei is trying to gather more information about the movement. If Haruka has not yet done so, I will alert Michiru. Go home."<p>

Back in the Silver Millenium, Nephrite had been their only seer. Here, today, things were different. They could use regular channels to gain information, and as for seers, well, there were three. Michiru with her mirror, Rei and her fire, and of course, Hiromasa and his stars. He had probably received the warning early in the morning, seeing how the sun rose so late in winter. But as far as Takeshi knew, it was extraordinarily difficult for Hiro to use his gift during daytime. He needed the darkness, the stars easily visible on the midnight sky. If he had tried to learn more all day, then it was no wonder that he was barely standing on his feet right now.

Escorting Hiro down the stairs, stabilising him by holding onto his arm with an iron grip, Takeshi retrieved his phone with his free hand, dialling Ami's number from memory. "Ami, can you please take your car to the southeast secret entrance? I need you to drive Hiromasa home and give him a thorough check-up. Thanks."

Hiro grunted. "I'm fine."  
>"Of course," Takeshi replied dryly as he put his phone away again. "You are in tip top condition."<br>"Shut up," Hiro replied, but made no move to wrench his arm out of Takeshi's grasp.  
>By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, Haruka and Minako were already waiting for them.<p>

"See, stupid," Haruka announced to Minako and wandered off.  
>"Oh Hiro," Minako said, shaking her head and offered him her arm once he was on even ground. Without the railing to hold on to, he accepted it gladly. His legs were feeling like jelly and his head was about to burst.<br>"Don't tell my wife," he threatened Takeshi, but it was Minako who answered.  
>"She's home, he doesn't have to tell her."<br>Hiro groaned. "Fuck."

Together, they managed to get him outside and into Ami's car. The doctor had shoved a bottle of water into his hands before Hiro had even managed to fumble for the seat belt. "Drink this," Ami ordered, and knowing not to fight a lost battle, Hiro did.  
>"It's nothing bad, he just needs rest," Ami said to Minako and Takeshi, standing side by side in the cold evening air. Minako was only dressed a thin grey longsleeve, some ripped jeans and the ballet flats she liked to wear as slippers in winter, and had started to rub her arms to keep from getting cold. It wasn't working very well.<br>Takeshi took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, barely aware he had done so. His attention was on Hiro and Ami. "Call me when you're home, and drive carefully. The roads are icy."  
>Ami nodded and climbed into the car, slowly backing out and driving away.<p>

"Here, your coat," Minako said as soon as Ami's car was out of view.  
>Takeshi looked down. "What? Oh, it's no trouble, keep it until we're back inside."<br>"I-"  
>"Keep it," he insisted, and pulled it over her shoulders again. She had to tilt her head up to look at him. These days, he rarely saw her in anything but business clothes and high heels; he'd almost forgotten how small she really was.<p>

"I take it you've heard?" Minako asked, not bothering to clarify what she referring to and took a step back.  
>He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling rather self-aware. "Yes. I'm going to see Mamoru now, do you want to accompany me?"<br>"Sure."  
>They walked back to the secret door and once inside, Minako shrugged out of the coat immediately. "Thanks."<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>I appreciate this," Takeshi said over dinner as he refilled the wine glasses for the second time. Cutting off a piece of her coq au vin, Setsuna smiled.<em>

_He had been here for four weeks now. They had travelled to deepest recesses of space five more times and so far, he hadn't lost control again, no matter what kind of image arose from the mist. Perhaps it was because the work at the CTCT, mind-numbing and infuriating as it was, was in service of his king, or perhaps it was because he was coming to accept that Kunzite had not only been a murderer and monster, but also a man, but Takeshi was slowly coming into his own again._

_None of it, he knew, would have been possible without Setsuna. Being around her both at and after work meant that he had to worry little about endangering anyone he interacted with. If push came to shove, she would teleport them back to space, remove him from whatever situation had pushed his buttons. In short, she had become his safety net._

_"How long has Aiko been after a pony?" Setsuna asked, and Takeshi chuckled, the wine warming his cheeks._  
><em>"Since she could speak. And perhaps even before. I took her to a petting zoo when she was barely one, and she didn't care for any animal but the shetland pony. Everytime I tried to get her to leave and stop petting, she broke into tears."<em>  
><em>Setsuna laughed. "Clever little girl."<em>  
><em>"That she is," Takeshi confirmed proudly. One more training session with Setsuna, then he would go see Aiko, he decided. And Minako too.<em>

_"Can I ask you something?" Setsuna hesitantly put forward, setting her fork down._  
><em>"Of course."<em>  
><em>"It's private," she warned.<em>  
><em>"Go ahead."<em>  
><em>"Why don't you and Minako have children?"<em>  
><em>That was unexpected. Cutting his potatoes, he looked down, taking a moment to compose both himself and an answer.<em>  
><em>"You don't have to-" Setsuna tried to backpedal, but he shook his head. "No, it's fine."<em>  
><em>Why didn't they? The topic had never come up. Minako never expressed an interest in children, never volunteered to accompany Takeshi when he went to babysit Aiko. If he asked, she'd come too, but never on her own accord. They were, or rather, had been, happy with just the two of them, in their house with Attila.<em>

_He looked over to his dog, sleeping in his big basket by the couch. Takeshi was worried about him; he barely ate, even refused doggie treats and bits of bacon. Focusing his attention back on his __dinner companion, he smiled tersely. "Never came up."_

_Of course, there was also the question whether they were stable enough a couple to start a family. Before the advent of Crystal Tokyo (and the return of Ando), Takeshi was certain they were. Now he wasn't so sure. He loved Minako deeply, and missed her, but all they had done for months was fight. They'd fought over big things, they'd fought over little things, and when there was nothing to fight about, then they didn't talk to each other._

_Now, four days to Christmas, with a wrapped present for her stored away in the back of his closet, he hoped that they could find a way, any way, to improve their situation. "Would you mind if we moved the training session forward? Tomorrow after work?"_  
><em>"Of course not," Setsuna said. "I do however think that you don't need another one. As I said before, you learned your lesson, and it didn't take me teleporting you into space to do that."<em>

_Not sure how to respond to such an unwarranted announcement of trust, Takeshi bowed his head in thanks and resumed his dinner._

_The next morning came. In his mind, he was ten steps ahead. If he managed to maintain control during the training session, he would call Minako. Ideally, they would make up and she would understand why he had to move, leave their house empty. Then he would rent two flats, one for him to live in, and another one where they could meet in secret. Takeshi didn't think it was wise to frequent the palace; Setsuna believed that it accelerated magical ability, and with Ando under the same roof, Takeshi didn't want to run any risks._

_He was just searching for flats that would suit their needs when his phone beeped. He reached for it, flipping it open. "I want Attila," the message read._

_Takeshi blinked._  
><em>Over four weeks.<em>  
><em>Three words.<em>  
><em>I want Attila.<em>  
><em>Not "I miss you," not "how are you," not even "where do we go from here".<em>  
><em>I want Attila.<em>

_So she had heard about what he had almost done to Ando._  
><em>He flipped the phone shut again and set it on the table, pushing his swivel chair away from it.<em>  
><em>So they were over.<em>  
><em>Oh.<em>

_Taking a deep breath, Takeshi waited for the pain to stop._

* * *

><p>King and Queen were in their chambers, and just as Takeshi had predicted, Mamoru was already in his coat, a scarf wrapped around his neck. Usagi was lounging on the couch, painting her fingernails while watching a comedy show.<p>

"You're late," Mamoru said before noticing that Takeshi wasn't alone. "Minako," he greeted the senshi, confusion quickly replacing the mild annoyance he'd felt at Takeshi's delay. Usagi looked up. "Hello Takeshi, hey Mina." She waved a hand at them, and then continued to wave it at herself in a bid to make the polish dry faster.

"I have some bad news, I'm afraid," Takeshi announced, depositing his coat over the back of a chair before pulling another one over to sit down. "Hiro has received a warning that there is some sort of plot against the two of you. We can't go out tonight, Mamoru."  
>Mamoru's jaw clenched. "Is it the same person who tried to shoot Usa?"<br>The Queen looked up.  
>"We don't know yet," Minako answered, but Rei is looking into it, and Michiru is too. We'll know more soon."<br>"What about your spy network, Mina?" Usagi asked, and Mamoru did a double-take.  
>"Spy network? What?"<br>Takeshi slowly turned in his chair, and just like this, three pairs of eyes were fastened on Minako, who crossed her arms in front of her chest and tried to look unfazed. "10,000 facebook friends are not a spy network, Usagi."  
>The Queen was undeterred. "Yes, but what about the others?"<br>"What others?" Takeshi asked, and Mina met his eyes only for a second before looking back at Usagi. Unless Takeshi was mistaken, and he rarely was, Mina was uncomfortable discussing this.  
>"I haven't heard anything. I'll work on it."<br>Usagi's grin didn't fit the seriousness of the situation. "Will you work on it tonight?"  
>Minako rolled her eyes. "Usa, this is serious. And you are not fifteen anymore."<br>"No, I am married, respectable, and very well protected within these walls," Usagi countered loftily. "I have to live my adventures vicariously through others."

"Usagi," Takeshi said sternly, "I don't think you are understanding the gravity of the situation."  
>Usagi looked at him, her blue eyes guileless. "The warning came from Hiro, right? He was here all day."<br>"Yes, and-"  
>"So it's a plot that's in the future, right?"<br>"Presumably, but-"  
>"But Takeshi, then everything's okay. Rei, Michiru and Hiro will look for more information, Mina here contacts some people," Usagi said, wiggling her eyebrows, "and you and Mamoru just order some pizza. You can have your man-date in the Round Room, no-one will bother you there."<br>Mamoru pinched the top of his nose. "Usagi, I've told you not to call it that."  
>"Can you order me some pizza too?" Usagi asked, completely ignoring Takeshi's frustrated expression and her husband's complaint. "I want frutti di mare. And garlic bread. Hey, let's ask Umino, Ami, and Ando, perhaps they want some as well."<p>

Utterly exasperated, Takeshi turned to Mamoru. "Your wife has just turned our very serious discussion into a pizza party."  
>Groaning, Mamoru took off his scarf. "Of course she has."<p>

Behind Takeshi, Minako snorted back a laugh, before making for a hasty exit.  
>"Minako!" Usagi called after her. "No pizza for you! You don't get any before you get some!"<br>Mamoru's jaw dropped. "Okay, what exactly is going on here?" he asked, but Takeshi didn't respond and instead folded his hands and looked at his shoes, waiting until the door closed and Mina was gone.

It was none of his business anyway.

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks into the new year, Takeshi finally called Minako. He reached her mailbox, and he wondered whether she was screening his call.<em>

_"This is me. I'm busy or lazy or lazily busy. Leave me a message, I might call you back."_  
><em>Steeling himself, he waited for the beep. It came sooner than he liked.<em>  
><em>"Minako, this is Takeshi. I am at the vet's with Attila. I think it would be good if you could come by."<em>  
><em>He hung up, and looked over to his dog. He was sleeping now, his breath coming in raspy, irregular puffs. Takeshi reached out and stroked the dog's large head.<em>

_The vet cleared his throat. "We really shouldn't wait too long. There is only so much the pain medication can do at this point."_  
><em>Takeshi nodded. Attila's age had finally caught up with him. His heart was failing, and his system could no longer fight off the normally harmless cold he had caught; it had turned into pneumonia. He was dying and not even Mamoru could change that.<em>

_His phone rang. Minako._  
><em>"Is it bad?" she asked, her voice breathless. He could hear her running through the snow.<em>  
><em>"Yes," Takeshi confirmed.<em>  
><em>"I am getting into the car right now, I'll be there in ten minutes."<em>  
><em>Before he could confirm or warn her to drive safely or even ask whose car she was taking, she had already hung up. Takeshi slid the phone back in his suit jacket.<em>

_"She'll be here in ten minutes," he said to the vet._  
><em>"I'll have my receptionist show her in," the doctor replied and disappeared, leaving Attila and Takeshi alone.<em>

_The ten minutes were both far too short and way too long. Finally, the door burst open and Minako spilled in. She looked at Takeshi, hoping for a denial of her worst fears. Instead, he reached out, but stopped mid-motion. They didn't do that sort of thing anymore. Forcing himself to meet her eyes, he began to speak._

_"We have to put him down," he said, his voice low. "He had a cold that has turned into pneumonia of both lungs. He stopped eating and Dr. Hekoyashi says his heart is giving up. There's nothing to be done."_  
><em>She looked at him, unblinking. "But..." her voice trailed off and she walked to the table.<em>  
><em>"I'm so sorry, Minako," Takeshi said, dying to wrap her in his arms. But he had already had his moment to say goodbye; this was hers.<em>  
><em>"I'll wait outside for you, unless you want me to-" he waited for a moment, but she had begun to stroke Attila with infinite tenderness, not turning around again. Her shoulders were shaking; he knew she was crying.<em>

_"Call me when you're ready," Takeshi said, and tore himself away from the two of them. He slipped outside. How desperately he regretted taking Attila. He should have left him with Minako, or driven him to her after she asked for him. But still reeling from everything that had happened, Takeshi had for once acted selfishly and kept the dog by his side as a source of comfort and companionship._

_And now Attila was dying. He swallowed, but his mouth was dry._  
><em>He felt sad and guilty, intensely so. But while he couldn't go back in time, he could try to make sure that this time around, it was Minako who was comforted. He pulled his phone from his jacket again <em>_and dialled._

_The person at the other end of the line picked up on the second ring._  
><em>"Are you really back in communicado?" Ando's asked, his voice full of surprise before regaining his usual bravado. "Because it's about fucking time. Everyone is going nuts over you and me and the little electricity issue, so it would be good if you and I could show our faces somewhere to get Umino and Rei off my back."<em>  
><em>Little electricity issue. Takeshi smiled without humour.<em>

_"That will have to wait," he said. "Ando, I am at the vet's practice. We have to put Attila down." He had to take a moment there, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, until he was sure that he had his voice under control again. "I need you to come and pick up Minako."_  
><em>There was no answer.<em>  
><em>"Ando," Takeshi repeated.<em>  
><em>"I... yes, of course. I'm on my way."<em>  
><em>"Do you need the address?"<em>  
><em>"Is it the same vet you went to when he was little? Same building?"<em>  
><em>"Yes."<em>  
><em>"Then I know where it is. I'll be right there. And Takeshi?"<em>  
><em>"Yes?"<em>  
><em>"I'm sorry."<em>  
><em>Takeshi nodded, even though Ando couldn't see him, and hung up.<em>

_A few minutes later, the door behind him was pulled open and revealed Mina. Her face was tear-stained. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay," he replied and not knowing what else to do, reached for her. She flinched, and he dropped his hand, feeling shame wash over him._

* * *

><p>Aiko happily reached for Takeshi's hand as they made to cross the street.<br>"And then the teacher said to bring a pet to school and I brought Bones and he wore the green tutu and then Masaru tugged his tail and then Bonesy bit him and then Masaru _cried_," she finished with a blood-thirsty glee that belied her pigtails and Sesame Street backpack.  
>Trying very hard to keep a straight face, Takeshi looked ahead. As it turned out, he didn't need to take care of any bullies, Bones had done it for him. Bring-your-pet-to-school-Thursday had been an unexpected success.<p>

Having successfully crossed the street, he crouched down to be eye-to-eye with her.  
>"Aiko, we do not laugh about other people's injuries. It's not funny."<br>"But Uncle Takeshi," Aiko said, wide-eyed and serious, "he put _gum_ in my Barbie's hair."  
>This time, Takeshi was not fast enough to hide his amusement.<br>"And _I_ didn't bite him," Aiko continued, knowing she had already won.  
>"Thank God for that," Takeshi replied and got up again.<p>

"Can we go to McDonald's now?" Aiko asked, putting her smaller hand in his again, an expression of complete trust on her small face.  
>Takeshi Nakamura, Councillor, soon-to-be Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, in possession of supernatural gifts that could bring kingdoms to their knees, sighed, sensing defeat on the horizon. "I had planned to take you to a sushi bar."<br>"Pleeeease," Aiko begged, her brown eyes just close enough to a puppy's to make it absolutely impossible to say no to her.  
>"Fine," Takeshi agreed. "But you are getting a fruit cup for dessert."<br>"And a McFlurry? Daddy always lets me get a McFlurry."  
>Well, he'd have to have a talk with Hiro, this was ridiculous. A McFlurry for a six year-old. Aiko ought to eat fruit and not some sort of sweet nonsense. Then he remembered that the banana Makoto had brought him in her lunch pack earlier that week was still sitting on his desk, while they had polished off the brownies together within the hour. Not an ideal basis for negotiation.<p>

"And a McFlurry," he agreed.  
>"I want the Smarties one," Aiko blithely continued, her steps becoming bouncier the closer they got, "because of the colours. I like purple best. Which colour do you like?"<br>He thought about it. "I like navy," he finally said and smiled down at Aiko, who was looking up at him with a blank expression. Right.  
>"It's a kind of blue. Like the night sky."<br>"Uncle Takeshi," Aiko chided, "I sleep when it's dark, or mummy takes away the Barbie house."

They ambled down the street and into the restaurant. Takeshi picked Aiko up so that she could see all of the posters behind the counter and choose which toy she wanted in her Happy Meal. They ordered the fruit cup too, and Takeshi promised that they could have the McFlurrys after they'd finished the 'real' food.

They sat down by a window, Aiko in her school uniform and Takeshi in his suit. Around the time they had finished the Chicken McNuggets and the fries, the contested fruit cup still sitting untouched between them, Aiko wrinkled her little nose.

"Uncle Takeshi?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Was Auntie Mina naughty?"  
>Takeshi lowered his coffee. "That is a very strange question, Aiko."<br>The little girl moved around in her seat.  
>"Why are you asking?" he prodded tenderly.<br>"Because you live with Setsuna now." Setsuna, but Auntie Mina, Takeshi noticed.  
>"Don't you like Setsuna?" he asked, waiting for her answer.<br>Aiko shrugged. "She smells funny."  
>That did it, Takeshi began to laugh. "I can't say I've noticed."<br>"Auntie Mina smells nicer. But mummy smells the nicest."

"Do you want to get the McFlurry now?" he asked, still chuckling, the fruit cup forgotten.  
>Aiko nodded. As they were putting the used napkins and empty boxes on the tray, Takeshi realised there was something left unsaid.<br>"Aiko, your Aunt Mina loves you very much. She wasn't naughty."  
>Understanding bloomed on Aiko's face. "You were."<br>He shook his head. "No."  
>Aiko nodded wisely. "Setsuna was naughty. Is that why mummy took Tinkerbell away from her?"<br>"Nobody was naughty. It's... it's grown-up business. But nobody was naughty."

They went to get the McFlurries, Aiko ordering the much anticipated Smarties one all by herself, and then ordering Takeshi to order another one for himself. The cashier was more than a little amused with the clear distribution of power between the serious business man and his pint-sized companion, and rewarded Aiko's cheekiness with an extra load of Smarties.

"Uncle Takeshi, there are no navy Smarties in here," Aiko complained. "You won't like it."  
>He placed a hand on her shoulder as they walked back to their table. "Don't worry, I'm sure I can cope. And maybe I can just change my favourite colour for this afternoon."<br>Aiko threw him a doubtful look. "Mummy says you can't change what you love. It's why she eats so much chocolate."  
>Thoughtful, Takeshi looked at his McFlurry, the pink and green and orange and purple Smarties all swirled around.<br>"I don't know, Aiko. Maybe you can."

*** _End of Chapter Ten_***


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>The Crystal Palace had many towers, but one was special because not only did the armed guards never go there, for some reason they never even really thought about it. It was a white spot on the map, an unheard whisper at the edge of their minds.<p>

And it was in this tower, or on it's roof top terrace, to be precise, that a very secret meeting took place in the dead of the night while the winter wind raced around the spires.

"Man, it's cold," Hiro muttered, pulling the thick green scarf his wife had made for him over his mouth and nose. Beside him, Rei shivered in her elegant coat, clearly wishing for warmer apparel. Only Michiru seemed unfazed, but then she was (much to Hiro's dismay) wearing a heavy fur coat, a matching hat, and fur-lined leather gloves.

"Really?" the violinist asked, sounding bored. "I'm fine."

"Seeing how you are wearing half a polar bear, I'd be surprised if you weren't," Hiro replied. "Pity for the poor animal."

Michiru smiled dryly. "It's dyed chinchilla, Hiromasa. Polar bears are nearly extinct, which makes wearing them a little... inappropriate."

"Chinchillas?" Hiro asked, scandalised, disbelief playing out on his big features. "They're oversized hamsters. You're wearing what my daughter's school friends keep in little cages and feed carrot sticks."

Before Michiru could answer, Rei cut in. "It's midnight, we need to start." She couldn't stand Hiromasa's and Michiru's bickering at the best of times, but in the middle of the night up on an icy tower, it was intolerable.

Michiru sighed, a dramatic little sound. "It's a fruitless endeavour, but fine. Let's start." Peeling her white gloves off, and putting them into a pocket of her coat, she offered one hand to Hiro and one to Rei.

Rei reached for her, and extended her right to Hiro. Looking decidedly unhappy, the big man took the hands that were offered to him and closed his eyes. All at once, the whisper of the stars, always a background noise when he was anywhere near the palace and the Silver crystal it contained, exploded in his ears.

"It's working," he groaned, and let go of Michiru's hand. With the circle broken, the volume of the voices died down instantly. "I could hear them all."

"Good," Michiru said ruthlessly, and took his hand again. "Now find out what they're saying."

* * *

><p>"How's Rei?" Minako asked when Ando shuffled into the kitchen the next morning.<p>

"Still sleeping. She's completely knackered." He yawned. "More pressing question: why do you look like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Before she met the Richard Gere character and stopped prostituting herself, that is."

Minako laughed and looked down at herself. True, the tiny blue skirt, the belly bearing cropped white shirt and the thigh high boots were a dead ringer for the film's trademark look. "Good party, long night."

"Any new intel?" Ando asked and stole Mina's coffee.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"You first."

Mina nodded and took the coffee from his hands again. "My sources say that there's a group assembling in irregular intervals at different places. No information on who's in it, who's behind it, but they are very anti-royalty. And the fact that they play so coy makes me think that they're the ones who were behind the shooting last year and the planned attack on Mamoru. No idea where they will meet next, but I know that they used locations that were destroyed by crystal before. The old Museum of Modern Art, the Mugen Gauken school, even Rei's temple." She leaned back in the chair and began to pull her hair into a ponytail before realising she didn't have a scrunchie or hairpin about her person. Sighing, she let it all drop again. "I'll get surveillance in place, come up with a roster."

"You need to get it cut," Ando said, ignoring her statement and the niggling fear it sent racing down his spine. The last thing he wanted was for Rei to transform into haughty Sailor Mars and to spend long, cold nights watching potentially dangerous places for potentially dangerous people. Stepping behind Minako, he ruffled her hair. "Shouldn't you have gotten a tragic break-up haircut after you and Icy Electrics called it quits?"

Smiling up at him, she shook her head. "Good God, no. Now, what did Rei, Michiru and Hiro uncover?"

"That joining their powers works. Hiro said that he could hear lots more, but there was nothing specific about upcoming attacks that we didn't know yet. Fire, volcanos, negotiations with Wiseman, Wiseman, more Wiseman, but no specific Wiseman. Do you think he's behind this mysterious new organisation?"

"You asked me that fifteen times before."

"You keeping count, kiddo?"

Her face was serious. "Always."

"So?" Ando almost wished that their new enemy was one he knew from a previous life. If they had to go against Beryl again, then at least he knew what they'd be up against. Instead, he, much like his brothers, had never met Wiseman and only knew about him as a cautionary tale of an impersonal but dangerous villain. He was going in blind, and fuck, he hated that. By the looks of it, so did Minako, who sighed. "Yes. And it scares the living daylight out of me. Because this isn't what we thought would happen in the future."

Trying on his old bravado as if it were a new suit, Ando squared his shoulders. "Revolution and doom version 1.0, revolution and doom version 2.0; don't really see the difference. We'll figure it out somehow. It's what we have three seers for, isn't it?"

Minako tilted her head to the side, going all quiet. Her blue eyes were knowing.

"What?" Ando asked, his voice almost steady.

"You're as scared as I am."

"Fuck that."

"You are."

And because they were all alone in the kitchen and because Minako would never tell anyone, and really, who'd believe her, dressed like that, he dropped his shoulders and admitted the truth.

* * *

><p>Far from the fearful conversation in the kitchen, a little part of the palace was still peaceful. Under downy blankets, head snuggled into fluffy pillows, the Queen of Tokyo was slowly waking up, stretching her legs as she did so.<p>

Yawning, Usagi rolled to her side. She loved those winter mornings. It was stupidly early, Mamoru had left hours ago and the last time she checked (which was a blissful eight and a half hours ago), it had been snowing like crazy outside. No reason to get up at all.

In her sleep-addled mind, the Queen of Tokyo didn't question that she wasn't alone in her bed. There were two people there, one snoring loudly, the other breathing quietly. The smell of Old Spice had let her know that the snorer to her right was Hiro, while the hint of jasmin flowers in the air identified her other surprise guest as Rei. Only Michiru had left the palace, leaving the other two seers in the care of the Queen.

Smiling, and sinking back to sleep, Usagi snuggled closer to Rei and pressed her eternally cold feet against Hiro's socked ones. The world could wait a little while.

* * *

><p>"My husband is sleeping in my friend's bed," Makoto confided with a laugh while adjusting the dials on the babyphone. Yoshi had the measles at the moment and had spent most of the night crying. It was a small blessing that he was taking a late morning nap now, otherwise the poor dear would be cranky all day.<p>

Takeshi smiled. "Usagi?"

"Who else?"

"That's alright then." He took a sip of the tea Makoto had made for him. Visiting Makoto, whether it was at the café or here in her home, was always a treat for him. "This is good, thank you."

"You're welcome. How was the Emperor's Ball?"

Takeshi frowned. "Haven't we spoken since?"

"No. Which is a shame," Makoto went on, "because I hear a lot happened at that ball."

"It did indeed. Mamoru and Usagi charmed everyone, press included. Their ascension will be smooth."

"That's not what I meant. I hear you and Setsuna danced. In public."

"Of course. She is an excellent dancer."

"As are you."

"You seem surprised."

"A little. I've known you for years, but I just didn't think you were the dancing type. You didn't dance at my wedding"

"Dancing is an art form that requires the right partner," Takeshi said, smiling into his tea.

"And Setsuna is the right one? The one?" Makoto prodded, knowing that barring Mamoru, she was the only one who could ask Takeshi about matters as delicate and private as this. It was a shame, but Takeshi had withdrawn from Umino, perhaps feeling that his close friendship to Ando (and thus invariably Minako) made him an unsuitable confidante. And while Hiro and Takeshi were like brothers, the strength of their connection wasn't exactly its verbosity. That left her and Mamoru, but Mamoru was ridiculously polite and reticent and would never pester Takeshi so much that he'd talk about things he hadn't fully considered yet.

To no-one's surprise, Takeshi's answer was slow in coming and carefully phrased.

"I care deeply for her."

"Does she make you happy?" Makoto asked, banishing all thoughts of Minako from her mind.

"Very," Takeshi confided.

"Good." Makoto said.

Takeshi put his tea down. "Provided nothing changes, we will get married next year."

"I... Takeshi, isn't that a bit soon?"

"It's months away. But we have discussed it and agreed that it's the next logical step."

Makoto smiled, but it did not quite reach her eyes. She didn't want to think how Minako would take the engagement. In the year since the break-up, her friend had never, not once, expressed anger at Takeshi for beginning a relationship with a fellow senshi. She had remained cool and polite, insisting that her relationship with Takeshi had been doomed from their very first encounter. The only indication that Minako was not quite as fine with the development as she made it sound was that she had steadfastly shied away from any new romance herself. Which was not to say that Minako was lonely. Pretty woman that she was, she could spend each night with a new lover, and had done just that for a while, making Makoto hugely uncomfortable. She wanted to see her friend settled and happy, not chasing the next little adventure only to forget about it the second her feet touched the ground the morning after.

"When the time comes, I would like for Minako to be fine with it," Takeshi said, echoing Makoto's thoughts. There was a question in his green eyes, one that Makoto did not know how to answer.

"Oh Takeshi," she murmured, offering him a cookie, "I'd like that too."

* * *

><p>Time passed slowly this winter, hiding any and all signs of spring. The mansion in the outskirts of Tokyo had lost its snowy cover, but no flowers bloomed and March advanced as icily as if it were December.<p>

Even inside, little warmth was to be found, as three old friends once again discussed a sore point.

"I hate that you never tells us anything," Haruka raged, pacing back and forth in the living-room while Michiru and Setsuna sat on the couch. It was a testament to the hour and the occasion that both women had resorted to hard drinks: iced imported vodka from Sweden for Setsuna, and the driest of all gin and tonics for Michiru.

"Love, sit down," Michiru said, sounding weary. Only very expensive and expertly applied make-up kept her from looking as tired as she felt.

"Michiru, it would be so much easier if Setsuna would go forth and, and-"

"Have a look?" the senshi of time supplied, arching a brow.

"Yes!"

Michiru put her glass down on the crystal coaster. "You are being silly, Haruka. It doesn't work like that."

"I get why she can't tell the others, they're no more than babies, the men especially, but we are warriors. One piece of definitive intelligence and we can go in and eradicate the problem."

"If I go and 'have a look', events will change. The 'look' will be worthless," Setsuna explained. To think she had given up on an evening with Takeshi for this...Suppressing a frown, she went on. "We can only go by the information Rei, Michiru and Hiro gleam and on the intelligence Minako gathers from her spy network. We know where the group has met, and Ami and Umino are mapping the city to locate the probable future meeting points."

"It's not enough," Haruka exclaimed, raising her voice. "Don't tell me you can't feel it. It's in the air, all around us. We are moving towards something, getting closer every day. And we are helpless!"

Massaging her temples, Michiru groaned. "Keep your voice down, Haruka."

Haruka came to a stop, towering over Michiru. "Night after night, you are up on this roof, and nothing comes of it. For months now, Michiru, months! You see visions of Crystal Tokyo's apocalypse, the same ones the Deep Aqua Mirror already showed you, Hiromasa hears voices warning him about a fire and about Wiseman, how wonderfully helpful, and Rei hasn't seen or heard anything worthwhile. It's. Not. Working." Bursting with frustration, Haruka looked for something to throw against the wall. Without batting a lash, Michiru drained her drink and offered Haruka the glass. "But mind the paintings," she warned. The last time they had this conversation, Haruka had become so enraged that she had tossed one of Michiru's prized antique Greek statuettes against the Monet, destroying both.

"It is all we have," Setsuna reiterated, ignoring the lovers' spat. "We are keeping a close watch on Usagi and Mamoru, limiting the time they spent outside the palace, monitoring any and all anti-crystal movement in the media and trying to counter it with good PR, but at the end of the day, there is nothing we can do. We either find Wiseman and his attackers, or we wait until they find their way to us. I don't like it anymore than you do."

"You sound like your boyfriend," Haruka bit out, turning away from Michiru.

Setsuna took a sip from her drink, ice cubes clinking in the heavy glass. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You can take that as whatever the-"

"Language, Haruka," Michiru interrupted.

Haruka groaned and slapped her hand against her forehead in a gesture of sheer frustration.

"And that, my love," Michiru said sweetly, "is exactly how I feel too."

* * *

><p>Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the empty throne room in the earliest hours of the morning, Umino was thinking. He was thinking hard, he'd been thinking long, and much like the three outer senshi, he wasn't getting anywhere.<p>

He'd started weeks ago by compiling the information on the future attacks in a chart. Unless Wiseman and his group found a pyromancer somewhere, they would need tanks and military firearms to wreak the havoc Michiru had seen in her mirror over two years ago. No firearms or tanks had been stolen in recent years, as a quick and ever so slightly illegal dig in the military communications intranet had shown. That gave them some time.

Next, he'd attempted to construct a timeline for Crystal Tokyo as it would have been had the shitennou not appeared. But precise information was hard to come by. Usagi and Mamoru knew little more than that at some point in the middle of their otherwise peaceful establishment of the monarchy, the Black Moon clan attacked, Chibi-Usa stole the Silver Crystal, travelled to the past and they fixed things from there. They couldn't even date their daughter's conception and birth any closer than a few decades.

Of course, the girl would have been the ideal person to ask, but Chibi-Usa had not been seen since the shitennou had returned. They had no way of mapping how far off track the future had gone and what they could do to fix it. Frustrating them further, Ami's crystal research had run into a dead end as well. His wife had not taken this intellectual defeat well: she spent as much time in the hospital as possible, trying to make up for what she perceived as her great failure. Consoling her had been impossible, so Umino too focused on his work, but the only useful thing he had come up with in the last three days was an accelerated training schedule. Twice a week, senshi and shitennou were secretly working on their powers. Only Rei, Michiru and Hiro were excused because of their nightly trips to the roof. He'd synchronised the training schedule with Minako's surveillance roster, but really, that was all he could do. The palace's protection was fully optimised as long as Umino was within its walls for at least three hours a day to do what he called 'maintenance' and Ando called 'walking around, touching walls and looking like an idiot'. Umino chuckled at the thought.

"I call it walking around like an idiot because you are walking around, looking like an idiot," Ando said, bending over Umino's shoulder to put a plate with a soggy sandwich on the floor in front of him. "And FYI: we have rooms with actual chairs and desks. You don't have to sit on the floor."

"When did you come in?" Umino asked, blinking.

"About five minutes ago, Deep Thought. Speaking of which: interesting thought process. I agree, getting Chibi-Usa as an informant would be great, but we can't. Unless we get Setsuna to travel to a point in the past where Chibi-Usa from the future is currently at. And we both know she won't do it, not for something as mundane as gathering information."

"She's right," Umino answered, and reached for the sandwich, realising he hadn't eaten all day. He pulled the bread apart to check what Ando put inside and was pleased to find mustard, cheddar, lettuce and pastrami.

"She's a crusty-"

"Ando," Umino said warningly, the stern tone somewhat softened by his rapturous look as he bit into the sandwich.

"Bitch," Ando finished as Umino swallowed, and sat down next to his friend. "She's a bitch. Don't tell me she's not. Because she fucking is."

Umino scowled.

"Oh, let me count the ways," Ando said. "For one," he began, counting along his fingers, "she pulled that stunt with me all those years ago, teleporting me to the battle zone of the Moon. Two, and that counts infinitely more, she's been absolutely useless and refuses to let us go to the future to have a peek. Three, she's stuck up. Makes her the perfect match for our dear Minister, but personally, there's not enough fine wine in the whole world to make this woman palatable."

Biting off more and chewing it with vigour, Umino shrugged. "That is a very long, convoluted and rude way of saying that you are scared of the future and resent her for hurting Minako," he said when he had polished off the whole sandwich in under a minute.

"Minako is not hurt," Ando insisted on auto-pilot, the denial more lip service than anything else, and pulled a chocolate bar from the breast pocket of his jumper, offering it to Umino in an offhand way. "She's fine. Fun and exciting life, that girl has, much better than anything Icy Electrics could have ever offered her."

"She may not hurt, but she was hurting. There is a difference there," Umino replied and greedily reached for the chocolate. He really was starving.

"This is not an intellectual exercise, Umino," Ando scolded his friend and procured an apple out of thin air, putting it right smack on the top of Umino's head.

"I just don't think that Minako will get over Takeshi by sleeping with... well, whoever she sleeps with."

"Leave her be. She has fun."

"You just defend everything she does out of habit," Umino insisted and tilted his head, catching the apple in his left hand.

Ando shrugged. "I do the same for you. Just yesterday, your wife was complaining about your haircut, or lack thereof, and what did I do? I said, 'Ami', is what I said, 'Ami, having hair that looks like an old carpet made from rusty straw makes Umino happy, leave him be'."

Umino smiled and twisted a copper curl around a finger. "I'll ask Makoto to give a trim next time she comes round."

"Good call."

"In the meantime," Umino said, "tell me what I'm thinking right now."

Ando frowned. "Nothing. Has the consumption of food wiped all thoughts from your brilliant mind?"

Umino smiled and looked at the floor. "No. I thought a great many of things."

Ando's jaw dropped. "You learned how to block me? Nobody can block me!"

"Uh huh. I don't think I can do it outside the palace, but inside, if I focus on it, it's do-able. We'll see whether it's a transferable skill in our training session with Mamoru tomorrow. Now, any chance you have some tea about your person? Or a biscuit?"

* * *

><p>The water was so hot that it sent steam spiralling towards the crystal ceiling, but Rei still felt cold. Michiru and Hiromasa had left around two o'clock when icy rain had begun to fall, making the slippery tower a safety hazard. She'd been in the tub since, trying to calm her mind. She was the only one out of the three of them who hadn't gained anything from joining their powers. Michiru reported more activity in the Deep Aqua Mirror, Hiromasa could barely hear them talk when they were up in the tower because the voices of the stars were echoing so loudly in his head, but for herself, it was complete and utter silence.<p>

By now, Rei had gone so long without a vision that she wondered whether she could still call herself a seer. Ever since she had burned her miko uniform, she had felt her spiritual side slip away from her. Perhaps she had now lost it completely. After it all, it had been longer than she had fingers to count the years with. The thought made her shiver, raising goosebumps all across her body.

Stretching out her hand, she focused on the image of the holy fire burning brightly in her mind, but it was replaced by the image of Mars, the fire planet, so red and angry in the sky. Even underwater, a small flame bloomed in her palm like a lotus flower. At least this part of her personality was still accessible, she thought grimly as the water turned hotter.

* * *

><p>In another part of town, one where new buildings had been built around tall crystals, Minako stretched and peeled herself out of bed. "Thanks, that was good," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder, while scanning the floor for her clothes. Her jacket was probably somewhere in the hall, as were her panties. Things had gotten heated rather quickly, which begged the question of whether she might actually still make it back to the palace before Michiru and Hiromasa left.<p>

"What time is it?" she asked her companion, who groaned in reply before reaching for his watch.

"You're killing me, babe."

"Doesn't answer my question," she singsonged and reached for her dress. Pulling the green fabric over her head, she located one shoe near the door and the other halfway under the bed. Slipping into the pumps with the same ease she slid into her ballet flats, she turned to him, smiling. "So: time?"

"Three in the morning."

Too late to catch them, then. But she might find Ando still awake or get to have some tea with Ami before the doctor left for her early morning shift at the hospital. "Right, gotta go. Again, thanks. Let's do this again sometime."

"You don't even know my phone number, let alone my name," he grumbled, but reached for her anyway. Allowing him to pull her close for one more kiss, Minako smiled against his mouth.

"But I know where you live, don't I?"

* * *

><p>Having located her missing clothes and shamelessly put them on again in the elevator, Minako stepped out of the building. The cold rain smacked her in the face and she quickly broke into a run. If she turned the corner, she could transform in the dark alley behind the building and then teleport home. It would get her out of the rain and cold. What was wrong with the seasons that March felt like November?<p>

Suddenly, an umbrella was placed over her head. She knew without turning around whose it was, and knew that he'd been waiting here for her. What she didn't know was how he'd found out where she was, but then again, he too had secret channels of information he refused to share.

"Not exactly weather-appropriate clothing," Takeshi murmured and Minako found herself smiling despite herself.

"I don't tend to think about the weather when I dress to go out."

"I know."

They turned the corner and walked down the alley in silence, the sound of her heels muffled by the rain. She sidestepped a larger puddle, but knew that unless they teleported soon, she would return home with wet feet and ruined shoes.

"Michiru has reason to believe that the attack on the palace will take place sooner rather than later," Takeshi shared, sounding thoughtful, and Minako stopped dead in her tracks.

"When?"

"Next month."

"Do Hiromasa's visions corroborate that?"

"No. He cannot put a time stamp on any warnings he has picked up."

"Rei's?"

"As you very well know, she doesn't have any." Takeshi sized her up, readying himself for battle. She knew what was coming, but spared a second to wonder why she hadn't found him so easy to read when they had still been together. Back then, he had been a mystery to her. Now he was an open book.

"We need that list, Minako."

She gave him a hard look, her blue eyes almost black in the night. Tucked into the side of her bra, the small USB-stick she had surreptitiously picked up as she had made her way out of the apartment burned into her skin. "And then what? We go and take them down one by one? They are political activists, Takeshi, not magical terrorists. They are on the fringe of Wiseman's movement, not at its core. Trust me on this. There is nothing to be gained here."

"They are the largest anti-Crystal group in the country. They are the only lead we have." He was like an alligator, stubbornly sinking his teeth into his bounty, dragging it under water to drown. She had no hope to convince him that the list wasn't useful, so she switched tactics.

"Even if I had a list of their members, and even if they were stupid enough to keep such a list in the first place-"

"We both know that you picked up the list tonight," he cut across her. His tone left no room for denial. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks and hated herself for that. She hadn't slept with the man because he was a member of the group, hadn't fallen into his bed because that was the only way to gain access to his apartment. She could get in and out of any place she wanted without its owner ever knowing. No, she had done it because she wanted to, because a hint of danger tasted so sweet, because sometimes, another person's touch was the only thing that made her feel alive. Because she was still looking for some part of herself that she had lost. But she would not stoop so low as to explain herself to Takeshi. She never needed to explain herself to this man ever again.

"We need to move into action. Now. Give me the stick." It was more command than request, and just like that, the feeling of unwanted shame dissolved.

"No."

Refusing him came easy to her, and it was even easier because she knew that Usagi would back her every step of the way. What Minako needed was time alone with Umino. Him she could give the list. He would go through them one by one, see if one or all or nobody had something to hide without them ever knowing. In Umino's slender hands, all 293 members of the Anti-Crystal Alliance were safe. Takeshi would not hesitate to have them arrested on some premature notion of danger; and if he felt one of them was a threat to Mamoru, then Minako had no doubts that that person would never leave the prison alive. A little accident, tragic circumstances. She had seen it happen more than once in the Silver Millennium.

"This is not the right time to protect your lover," Takeshi interrupted her thoughts. "We all have to make sacrifices, Minako. I'm sure you can find someone else to warm your bed."

It was just a flash, a lightning rod of anger coursing through her veins. Her home, her dog, her love. Sacrifices made. Sacrifices paid.

"I think we all made enough of those a lifetime ago, Kunzite," Minako answered, aiming to wound and unable to stop herself. "And if that is jealousy I hear, I recommend you take a good look at your relationship because clearly, there must be something missing there. Does Setsuna even know where you are?"

"Don't push it," Takeshi whispered.

"Why? Afraid of the truth? Repression is nobody's friend, hasn't anyone ever told you that?"

Her was holding the umbrella in such a forceful grip that his fingers turned white. Around them, the rain came down harder.

"You, my friend," Minako continued, her voice as icy as the drops that fell against her bare legs, "do not get to call me a whore."

When the streetlights further down the street flickered, Minako slowly snapped out of it. She broke their eye contact to look at them. On, off, on, off. And she thought he had gotten that particular issue under control. Opposite her, he exhaled deeply, and she knew he was forcing his powers back. She'd have to talk to Umino; Takeshi clearly needed more time to practise his magic, and not only with Mamoru. Ando would make a good training partner: he could raise Takeshi's temper easily enough, and there was little love lost between the two anyway.

It brought her right back to the months following their break-up, the complete radio silence, when every flickering streetlight made her think of Takeshi and Ando raged more at the perceived injustice than Minako ever did. She had never been more tired than then.

She sighed, suddenly aware of the rain and the cold and the lateness of the hour. Sometimes it felt that she spend most of this life fighting with a man who was supposed to be her ally. It was time to go home, to her own bed. And perhaps time to offer a hint of an apology. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms to counter the cold, she looked at him again. "Look, I am not protecting any lover of mine. I don't even know his name, but I don't believe that we should go after the wrong people just so that we can go after _someone_."

"You are a fool," he replied, his voice hard. He was not accepting any apology of hers, not when she had wounded him so gravely and so deliberately. She knew him well enough to have expected nothing else.

But why did he always have to make things so difficult? She opened her small purse and retrieved her henshin pen. She was done here. "And you are becoming more paranoid than you were even back then. Leaflets and posters and public protest do not constitute a risk to Usagi's and Mamoru's safety. Now go home to your girlfriend and leave me in peace, Takeshi. When I have viable information, I will pass it on. But I'll be the judge of when and what that is."

He stared at her, and for a second, just a second, she was sure that he would hit her. Hit her or kiss her. And both of them knew that the latter would be more fatal than the former, which was shocking enough in and of itself. But he turned around instead, walking out of the alley in long, measures strides, leaving her in the rain.

For a second, his expensive black trenchcoat billowed just like the cape he used to wear.

And then he was gone and the rain continued to fall.

* * *

><p>***End of Chapter 11***<p> 


	13. Chapter 12

_**On Razor's Edge - Chapter 12**_

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. _

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>There was a persistent buzzing sound, something distant and low. Umino groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. Ami must have left the TV in their living room on. She liked to drink her coffee while watching the news before she left for work, while Umino always slept for another five to six hours. His darling lark of a wife made his nightingale life a bit difficult, but he loved her dearly anyway.<p>

Bssssssss-

The sound persisted despite the pillow. Slowly rising to more awareness, Umino heard another sound to go with the buzzing. Less regular, which made it more difficult to sleep through. A banging. No, a booming?

Bsssssss-

Reaching for his glasses on the nightstand, he put them on. A sinking feeling had taken over, propelling him out of his slumber. Didn't so much sound like a TV. Sounded more… like a plane?

Bssssss-

Getting out of bed, his bare feet touching the warm crystal floor, he moved past the drawn midnight blue drapes and into the living room.

The TV was off. The room was in perfect, quiet darkness.

Bsssss-

He swallowed.

Bssssss-

Moving back into the bedroom, he pulled the drapes open.

Bssssssss-

And all he saw was fire.

* * *

><p>"Stay here, babe," he murmured against her ear and kissed her neck. Minako laughed. "While I appreciate that you are insatiable, really, I do, I've got to go." Smiling, she made to move out of bed. She'd stayed far longer than planned, allowing him to lure her back into his arms twice. But now the early morning sun was rising, and she had to get back to the palace.<br>His arm snaked around her waist and tightened. "Stay," he murmured once more, but there was something in his voice that made the hair at the back of her neck rise.

"Seriously, I've gotta go," she repeated slowly, and her blue eyes met his. They were cold, and suddenly, shockingly, after so many years, eerily familiar. It was as if a veil had fallen away.  
>"It's too late anyway," Ace whispered, and Minako's blood ran cold.<p>

* * *

><p>Ami liked the early morning shifts best. The hallways of the hospital were so nicely quiet and everyone went about their routines, efficiently but peacefully starting the day. She usually performed one surgery before breakfast time, something small, something happy. Even though it was the nurses' task to do so, she liked to wake her patients for the procedure herself, liked to give them a moment to build and reinforce their trust in her.<p>

She was just about to set foot into Mr. Hiyotama's room (pre-emptive appendectomy), when one of her favourite nurses came hurtling down the hall, her hurried steps loud and booming. "Dr. Mizuno, you've got to come to the ER! Dr. Teo is alone there, and we've got so many burn victims coming in, we have to re-route ambulances to the other hospitals! Please, Dr. Mizuno, come quick!" The nurse turned around and ran back without waiting for her response, Ami racing after her as fast as her sensible Crocs allowed.  
>"What happened?" she yelled just as Mia opened the doors to the ER, and the noise of the wounded threatened to overcome them. There were patients everywhere.<p>

"Bombs," Mia replied, and shoved a pair of gloves at the young doctor.

* * *

><p>Takeshi's phone rang. Without opening his eyes, he reached for it. He was very aware that he still had ten minutes before his alarm would ring, and equally aware that Setsuna was next to him, pretending to be still asleep.<p>

It was his secretary.  
>"Mr. Nakamura, there has been a terrorist attack on the city, near the Juuban area where the palace is located."<p>

* * *

><p>Hiromasa and Rei were fast asleep in Usagi's bed, as were both King and Queen. They had stayed up for another night on the tower, and even though Mamoru wasn't too thrilled and had pointed out that they had many guest bedrooms available, his wife had invited them to stay in their bed. As per usual, everyone had given in to the little Queen's wishes.<p>

Everyone except for Michiru, who had smiled fondly, stroked Usagi's cheek and driven off in her white vintage Aston Martin.

Umino threw the door to the bedroom, the very heart of the palace, open so hard that it banged against the wall and splintered.

"Mamoru, Usagi, FIRE!" he yelled, and hurtled towards them.

* * *

><p>Little Yoshi was visiting his paternal grandparents in the country, as Makoto and Aiko had been supposed to. But then Aiko had been invited to her friend Masuka's birthday party, and Mummy, please, can I go, and, please, please, please, I want to soooooo much, and finally, Makoto and Hiro's parents had decided that mother and daughter would simply drop off baby Yoshi and return in two days time, allowing little Aiko to jump on the indoor bouncy castle because that was what her little heart depended on.<p>

So it came that as the bombs began raining down near the palace, near the palace in the Juuban district, Makoto and Aiko were still fast asleep in their beds.

* * *

><p>***End of Chapter 12****<p> 


	14. Chapter 13

**On Razor's Edge - Chapter 13**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.  
><em>

verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Ando had had a rather sleepless night. Having felt something, anything, in the air, he had finally abandoned his futile attempt to fall asleep and got up around four, slipping into heavy winter clothing and snuck out of the palace through one of its many secret passages. He'd aimlessly begun to walk around Tokyo, letting his mind drift.<p>

Rei had become more distant lately; he knew why, of course. The midnight sessions on the rooftop had begun to take their toll on her. She saw less than Michiru and Hiromasa, and suffered because of it. Even though it had been over a decade ago, the decision to abandon her life as a miko still held her in its grasp. She (and everyone else around her, himself included) had only understood that her powers stemmed from her devotion to her belief as much as from her magical heritage, and once the devotion was lost, so were her powers. Well, some of them. Ando believed that the gift of the second sight would return sooner rather than later, but because of the rising threat of Wiseman, time was a commodity they could no longer trade in.

Burrowing his nose deeper into the folds of his red scarf, he swallowed. It still made him nervous, having to face a strange enemy, one whose powers and attacks manifested differently because the shitennou had returned and the shape of the future had thus been altered. Setsuna was useless as ever, not willing to divulge any information that might help them prevent a catastrophe, and of course Takeshi was backing her every step of the way, uptight moron that he was. Ando had grown to respect brash Haruka and ruthless Michiru, simply because they, much like him, were willing to do everything in their power to keep Mamoru and Usagi safe. They refused to play by the rules if the rules meant that the risks were exponentially higher. Setsuna however… well, there was no way Ando could respect someone who had all the powers of the world in her hands and refused to use them for her loved ones. And the Minako thing might be a factor, too, he had to admit grudgingly. He checked his watch; it was almost six in the morning. He decided to go home; perhaps Rei was awake or Minako was just returning, and one of them might surely keep him company for breakfast.

Turning a corner, Ando noticed that the sun was ever so slowly rising over the palace, casting the crystal in a fiery red light. There was a plane in the sky, probably taking people on their well-earned holidays. He'd have to take Rei to New York soon, show her the city and all his favourite haunts.

But then the colour spread, and something dropped out of the plane, and with beating heart, Ando realised that it wasn't the sunrise after all.

It was fire.

* * *

><p>Takeshi had barked orders at the phone, called for help and military and ambulances, all while dressing himself and making for the door. He didn't wait for Setsuna.<p>

As the door slammed behind him, Setsuna drew the blankets around her. Her skin was all goosebumps.

"And so it begins," she whispered, and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>"What do we do?" Usagi cried, clinging to Mamoru's hand. She was a fighter, but not a warrior. One enemy she could face, she could convince, she could redeem, but against these depersonified masses, she was helpless.<p>

"Are these… tanks?" Hiromasa asked, stepping closer to the window. Looking up, his eyes widened in shock. "Fuck, and planes. Fuck fuck fuck."

"Hiro, not that close," Mamoru called out, and his large friend stepped back.

Umino was walking up and down the windows, touching each one and murmuring words in the long forgotten language of Elysion. Finally, he turned to his friends. "The wards will hold, as long as it's only normal fire. But if Wiseman uses magic, we're screwed. I don't know what he'll throw at us, so I can't prepare the palace for it."

"Makoto and Ami aren't answering the phone," Rei said quietly, sitting at the edge of the bed, phone in hand. She was dialing again, punching in Minako's number this time. There was a brief beeping sound before the line went dead. "Phone lines are down. I'll go get my communicator from my room, be right back." She got up and slid from the bedroom, each step silent and certain.

Mamoru swallowed. "I should call Takeshi."

Hiro nodded.

"And Ando," Umino added, kneeling down and touching the crystal floor. The volcano's fire, buried underneath the palace, sealed away, was pulsing under his hand. "This isn't good," he murmured.

Then the floor began to shake.

* * *

><p>Ando raced around a corner just as the East Wing exploded into a million little pieces.<p>

_Finally._

The word was just a whisper in his mind, an itch at the edge of his consciousness, but Ando caught the thought anyway. And there could be only person from whose mind it had sprung. Ando frantically looked around. He must be here.

"WISEMAN!" he hollered, hoping to draw him out. If he could only find out where Wiseman was, he'd take care of it. He'd take care of it, and Rei and Usagi and Umino and Mamoru would be fine. They'd be fine. "WISEMAN!" If they had any luck, any whatsoever, Minako hadn't yet returned home, wasn't in the east wing, wasn't buried amidst thousands of little diamonds raining from the blood red sky.

* * *

><p>Tyres screeching, Takeshi pushed his foot down harder, taking the corner of the pedestrian zone with 130 kmh. Time was of the essence; and unlike the senshi, the shitennou could not teleport as easily. He had to make his way to the palace the ordinary, the islow/i way, and it was absolutely infuriating. He'd overtaken at least three camera crews in their bulky vans. They were like vultures circling a carcass.

The phone connection was still not working, there was no telling whether Mamoru and Usagi were even still alive. And Minako-

Takeshi brushed the thought from his mind. There was no use in panicking. He had a plan, and the first step of the plan was to get to the palace as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>The shaking stopped after a minute.<p>

"What the fuck was that?" Hiro shouted, panic in his voice.

Rei crouched next to Umino, running her hand softly over the crystal and the flames that licked at it from underneath while simultaneously steadying herself. She drew in a sharp breath. "The stones are iwarm/i."

"What?" Hiro burst out. "But the volcano has been contained by the Silver Crystal. Umino, you said so! What the fuck is going on here?"

Umino closed his eyes and spread his palm on the floors, pressing it down with all his weight. Sweat began to rise on his forehead, and he bit down on his lips.

"There's…. they've- they've begun their magical assault."

Usagi reached for Mamoru's hand. She looked outside, getting as close to the window as Mamoru would let her. "It's raining," she muttered. "It's raining… glitter?"

Hiro moved next to her, getting paler by the second. This lifetime, he was a father, a husband, a handyman. The kind of man you asked to fix your creaky door, your dripping tap. Not the kind of man you'd ask to defend your palace. "They're throwing bombs," he said without inflection. "All over the city, look." He pointed to the distance, where rays of fire shot up in the sky, glimmering like the stars at night. "They're targeting the crystals all over the city. They must have hit the palace. That's why it shook."

Usagi swallowed and put her other hand in Hiro's. "It's a good thing then that Aiko and Yoshi and Makoto are in the countryside. Let's count our blessings. Makoto and the children are safe, Hiro, and we will survive. We always do, don't we?" She gave him a small smile, her blue eyes as hopeful as ever. "We'll be fine."

Across the room, Mamoru sought Umino's eyes.

There were no words necessary.

Umino shook his head.

* * *

><p>When the whole world explodes around you, there are only two things you can do. You can fight like hell, or you can give up.<p>

Minako Aino was a fighter. Unfortunately, so was the man who had revealed himself to be Ace.

Sobbing, she threw the bloody kitchen knife as far away as possible and got up. It hit the walls with a dull noise and clattered to the floor. Her legs were shaky, and her clothes were where she'd left them last night, in a pile next to the couch. Stripped off in excitement, forgotten in a little heap. Exactly as they'd been a few hours ago. Except that now, they were sprayed with blood.

Looking everywhere but at the naked dead man sprawled out on the floor, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling, she stepped through the ever-expanding puddle of blood, pulled on her soiled dress and reached for her purse. She was pretty sure she had at least two broken ribs and a fractured wrist, but Ami would take care of that later.

Oh God, how could she explain this to Ami? How could she explain that the man she'd been oh so casually sleeping with was a minion of the Dark Kingdom? That her informant was actually one of their enemies? That she'd had to fight him naked, in his studio apartment, because he refused to let her out? Minako drew in a sharp breath. Oh God. Forget Ami. How could ever explain this to Takeshi? She'd failed, failed completely. Feeling the world swim around her, she reached out and steadied herself against the wall.

It was no use. She had to go on. She always had to. No matter what. She had to find a way.

She hadn't been able to make it to the henshin pen in her purse when the fight broke out, but she had made it to the knife they'd cut yesterday's pizza with.

Letting go of the wall, she began to dig in her purse for her henshin pen. Time to transform, time to go to the palace.

As the magic enveloped her, Minako looked straight ahead, her vision swimming with tears.

But even so, she could see it clearly enough.

The red handprint she'd left on the wall.

* * *

><p><em>More…<em>

Ando whipped around. He was in one of the little alleys closest to the palace. There were a few souvenir shops in here, a bakery, a deli. Other than that, it was only residential houses. Or rather, there had been.

He gulped.

He was sure he'd seen a torn up arm just a minute ago, lifelessly peaking out of the ruins. The bomb that had taken out the east wing had found it's bloody path to this small, nothing out of the ordinary, completely non-magical street and made it look like a war zone.

The east wing. The part of the palace in which Minako had her rooms. In which he had his rooms. The wing Rei occasionally snuck into in the early hours of the morning, when she wanted to doze with the sunlight on her face. It was an extravagance she'd never admit to Usagi or Minako, but which she'd told him about, once. She'd blushed so prettily that he had to kiss her. That had lead to the first time they'd-

Ando stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't do this. Deface his memories of Rei amidst this wreckage. He had to find Wiseman. Had to find him and take him out and then go looking for Rei and Minako and Mamoru and the rest.

Somewhere, this bastard was hiding, letting bombs rain down on the city. And he was doing something else, too, something magical. Ando could feel it, no, taste it in the air.

Edging closer to the palace, Ando closed his eyes. In the distance, sirens were wailing, and unless he was mistaken, someone was honking his car's horn as if there was no tomorrow. Which might have been closer to the truth than anyone would guess. Trying to shut the sounds out, he cast his thoughts into the distance, trying to locate Wiseman. But there was silence. No more sinister thoughts, no voices. Nothing.

No way of finding him.

* * *

><p>The floors were pulsing; large red spots spreading underneath the crystal.<p>

"It's getting warmer in here, isn't it?" Usagi asked, unsure of whether or not to take off her big fluffy robe.

Mamoru nodded. "I think we should evacuate. I can take you all to Elysion. It'll be safe there."

Hiro nodded his assent. "And let's get Mako and the kids there too. Just to be on the safe side. Who knows how long the palace can withhold the attack. If things go wrong, I don't want anyone near the madman running the attack ior/i the volcano erupting all over the city."

"I can take care of this," Rei said quietly. "I'll go into the catacombs and whisper the volcano to sleep again. We just need to counter whatever Wiseman is doing. I can do it."

"Rei," Umino said quietly, "it's too dangerous. I cannot guarantee that the wards will hold against an extended air assault, magical or not. We need to leave." He turned to Hiro. "We need to get Ami, too. She's at work."

"I've left my home behind once," Rei interrupted, her voice shaking. "I'm not doing it again." Getting to her feet, she brushed a few specks of dust off. Her eyes flickered red, a sign of Mars pushing at the edges of Rei's consciousness.

"Oh Rei," Usagi whispered and went to reach out to her friend, but Rei stepped away from the Queen's touch. "Just give me an hour. I command fire, I can control this."

Mamoru ran a hand over his face. "I'm taking everyone else to Elysion in ten minutes, unless something happens. Then it's sooner rather than later. I'll come back for you and Umino." Umino swallowed. Of course. For a second, he'd thought he'd leave to go Elysion with everyone else, but it was his powers keeping the palace's wards running, so he couldn't leave. If he stepped outside the palace (particularly into another dimension), he'd leave the palace wide open for attack. Finding the necessary resolve, he nodded and got up.

"Good. I'll call Ami and let her know about the pick-up. Can you teleport into the hospital to fetch her?"

"What do you mean 'good'?" Usagi asked, a note of panic creeping into her voice. "There's nothing good about this! Rei, I absolutely refuse to leave you here all alone. Nu-uh. Not going to happen. I'll go with you. And Umino, you can't stay here on your own! And what about the people? What'll happen to them while we run to Elysion?"

Everyone fell silent.

Everyone except for Hiro. He was looking at the sky, red with fire and light, helicopters circling. There were a few from news stations, but there were some that must belong to the were waiting for them.

"They die. Or they survive, because we're no longer around. We're their bait."

* * *

><p>Near the remains of the former southeast secret entrance, a swirl of golden glitter announced the arrival of Sailor Venus. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Minako detransformed.<p>

"Oh my God," Minako said under her breath, unable to take in the level of destruction around her. The east wing was gone. They was rubble everywhere. In the distance, explosions tore the city asunder. "Oh God." Her bedroom, gone. Ando's room, gone. She turned on the spot, trying to process the information.

East Wing, gone.

Secret passage, blocked.

Rest of palace, still standing.

What else, what else?

She squinted her eyes. The palace was shimmering…. red?

Flames near the South Wing.

Behind her, a car screeched to a halt.

"Minako!"

She blinked.

"MINAKO!"

Slowly turning around, she saw Takeshi running towards her. Around them, the world was falling apart, and yet here he was, dressed in a black suit and an impeccably ironed white shirt. His only concession to the current circumstances was his lack of a tie. A detached part of her managed to smile at how ridiculous it all was.

"GET AWAY!" he shouted. When he reached her, he pulled her away from the rubble and back towards the car. "Get in, Minako. Damn it, get in the car." When he grabbed her wrist, she winced. Definitely fractured. But the pain served to focus her attention again, letting the shock fade away. Somewhere, something exploded.

"No, Takeshi, we need to go in. We need to see whether everyone is okay!"

Gearing the car to reverse, Takeshi hit the accelerator. "Are you hurt?"

Minako didn't bother checking her appearance. She knew very well what she must look like. Bloodied dress, body covered in bruises. "Nothing too bad. Ami will fix me up. I'll call her- damn."

Her phone was on mute. And on Ace's bedside table. Fuck.

"Give me your phone."

He pulled his phone from the inner pocket of his jacket and tossed it at her. She caught it with her left.

He noticed, of course. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"I think it's broken," she replied while dialling Ami's number. "Where are we going?"

He opened his mouth to answer and closed it again.

"Takeshi? _Where_ are we going?"

"I don't know. There are two tanks in front of the main entrance, a helicopter circling the West entrance, and masked armed guards in most streets leading to the palace. And news team all over the place. I'd hoped we could get in via the secret passage, but not only do I think it's blocked, it's far too visible. We'd be guiding them right to them." He paused for a moment as he shifted gears, and took them down the alley that would eventually lead them to Makoto's café. "You were standing there with a big red x painted on your back, Minako."

She brushed his comment away, not having the time to analyse whether it is a reproach or an expression of worry.

_You have reached Ami Mizuno's phone. Leave a message after the-_

Minako hung up, and dialled Rei's number instead.

_The person you have called is temporarily unavail-_

Makoto.

_Hi, it's Mako, we're currently busy, please leave a message-_

Usagi.

_The person you have called is temporarily unavail-_

"They're not answering," Minako said, her mind flipping through possible scenarios as if they were a stack of cards. It was Ando's number she dialled next, heart beginning to hammer in her chest. Please pick up, please please please.

But there's nothing, and the call doesn't go through.

_The person you have called is temporarily unavail-_

Not bothering with the red light, he pushed his foot on the accelerator. They sped over the crossing, past the barrage of news vehicles and ambulances and police cars heading towards the palace.

"Takeshi. Where. Are. We. Going?"

He clenched his jaw.

"To safety."

And then, suddenly, she knew.

* * *

><p>It was hot underneath the palace. Hot, pulsing, dangerous.<p>

It was where Sailor Mars belonged.

Rei took a deep breath. Mamoru would take them all away to Elysion now. Everyone but her and Umino. That was good. Umino was powerful, far more powerful than he'd ever let on, and as for herself… well, she was perfectly safe down here. Who to better deal with fire than the senshi who commanded it?

Reaching deep inside her soul, Rei Hino unlocked the secret door to her second self, and without the help of her henshin pen or Usagi, transformed. Her eyes as red as the lava in front of her, she stepped right into its fiery folds.

* * *

><p>It had taken more power than he would have believed possible, and a significant portion of it had been drained away by his wife, who had resisted the teleportation to Elysion with every ounce of her body. But now at least Usagi and Hiro were safe. It was a beginning.<p>

Staggering, Mamoru reached out, and his arm found Hiro, who steadied him. "You can't go back yet," Hiro murmured. "You need a minute."

Mamoru looked up and his eyes met his wife's. More than any other person he knew, Usagi looked like she belonged in this magical realm with its evergreen meadows, smiling flowers, and sweet air. But there were tears in her eyes; and she looked torn. Oh, he didn't need to be a mindreader to know what she was thinking. She wanted him to be safe, but she also wished for Ami to be plucked from the hospital and deposited into safety. She worried over Minako, Takeshi, and Setsuna, over Ando and Umino and Rei, and over every single inhabitant of Tokyo. If Makoto and the kids weren't in the countryside, she'd probably have clawed his eyes out rather than let him transport her here. Inwardly, Mamoru cursed, despairing over his own ineptitude and his wife's generous heart. She wanted to fight, to make everything better, and instead, he'd made her leave everything and everyone behind. A tear trickled down her cheek, and unseen by any of them, the flowers near the little pond began to wilt.

"Ami first?" he asked, feeling like a monster, especially with Hiro standing next to him, father of two, friend of all. They were running out of time, and for the first time since donning the mask and the top hat with his wife by his side, Mamoru knew that they would not all reunite. This time, it was different.

In a moment of grace, it was his bear-like friend who answered, doling out absolution, making the decision. "Ami first."

* * *

><p>They were like magpies, these former colleagues of his. Amidst death and destruction, reporters ran, filming broken buildings and spilt blood, the wounded and the dead, and the attacks that kept on coming. They snuck behind tanks, bold as brass. He could feel their looks trailing him; he'd been recognized as someone in the Queen's employ. More than once, people had called him. Tanaka, they called, Tanaka! Hoping to draw his attention, get a statement, preferably with tears running down his face. Of course, they didn't know a thing more than his name and position, didn't know that this attack was brought on by the shitennous' reincarnation. Didn't know he was every bit as magical as the crystals currently being blown to pieces all over the city. Fuck fuck fuck.<p>

It was pandemonium, and somewhere in this mess, Usagi and Rei and Umino and Minako and Mamoru, of course, Mamoru, were hidden, and hopefully safer than those monsters in plain sight. A part of himself, detached and shocked at the same time, noted that on this list of people he worried over, his prince was a mere afterthought.

_Yessss_

There, that was it. Where, where, where?

_Revenge. Power. Mine._

Closer.

Ando closed his eyes, blindly moving towards the thought. He stumbled over something, some rubble on the floor, but didn't stop. God, he hoped it was rubble. Hoped it wasn't a corpse. He had to go on, on and on until he-

_Finally. Today, they die. They all die._

He opened his eyes. Behind the news van to his right. The thought had vibrated in his mind, that's how strong it was. It had made his hands tingle. So much anger, so much hate. Ando exhaled. He could end this. He could end this right now. Stop the creature who stopped short of nothing. Wiseman was the head of this operation; with him gone, the attack would fall apart, and they could go back to being safe and dysfunctional and as happy as people with two lifetimes worth of bloody baggage could be.

And it was just like lighting a cigarette out of thin air, just like reading a stray thought. He could do this, had done this a thousand times. Jadeite, former master of the flames. Former master of magic.

Drawing on the power of the crystal, the palace, and the volcano underneath, he closed his eyes, called on the fire, and with all his might, hurled it in the direction of the van.

* * *

><p>There was dust on every surface, and not a single soul inside. If she was surprised that he still carried the key in his pocket, after all this time, she didn't show it. Even under these circumstances, the absence of Attila in these walls was like a blow to the chest. He hoped that at some point in the future, he would get to tell Mamoru about the moment the world was falling apart and Takeshi Nakamura had nothing better to do than mourn his dead dog. The story might be good enough to get his prince to smile. But as it was, there was precious little to smile about now, and perhaps never again.<p>

Michiru and Haruka haven't answered their phones either. Minako had tried to contact Hotaru, too, but the call didn't go through. It was the same with Hiro and Umino. This only left one of them and both of them were painfully aware of who this was. Even in the circumstance, dire as they were, things were achingly awkward. Leaning against the dusty kitchen counter, he watched as Minako closed her eyes.

"You need to call Setsuna. Tell her to come here."

For a second, he wanted to protest. But this was the bed that he had made for himself, and now he had to lay in it. She held out his mobile, a fake olive branch to get them through this moment.

Of course, Setsuna answered her phone on the second ring.

"Yes?" Sometimes, he wondered whether there was a single question in the world his girlfriend did not know the answer to already. It was her omniscience he counted on now.

"Usagi and Mamoru?" he asked, trying to sound calm, but feeling anything but, especially with Minako opposite him, blood-stained, broken-boned, in what used to be their home. He had to take her into safety. Had he not met her there, in front of the palace, looking half dead, he'd have gone in, would have searched the premises. Had he paid for Minako's safety with that of his prince?

He had had a plan. A plan that he abandoned for the woman he- He stopped himself. This was neither the time nor the place. It was the house that made him sentimental, that made him lose sight of what was important. "Alive," Setsuna whispered and Takeshi sagged against the counter.

"You need to come to my old house." Resolve had returned to him. They needed to regroup. Get Setsuna here, get Ami and Makoto here, and then find a way to save everyone else from inside the palace.

There was a moment of silence.

"Setsuna?"

When she spoke again, Takeshi thought she sounded surprised. "I… I would have thought you'd be elsewhere now."

Minako looked up, a spark returning to her eyes. He met her gaze unflinchingly.

And just like that, the future had changed once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*** End of Chapter 13 ***<strong>_


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. <em>

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Dr. Mizuno exited the OR. Her patient would live to see another day, but the next one was surely already waiting. The hospital was at capacity, but the wounded kept coming, kept being found. Under rubble, under cars, spiked by crystals, by shrapnel, run over by tanks… it was a nightmare come true. But her scrub nurse had told them that the air assault had stopped, so that was something to be thankful for. In this moment of reprieve, she had to contact her sisters, had to reach Umino, had to find out whether she should stay here and save people the conventional way or whether there was something else that needed doing. She needed to know, for someone to tell her, whether it was Mercury or Mizuno that was needed now. And she needed to know before she was pulled into the next surgery.<p>

"Ami."  
>Ami whipped around and saw a familiar pair of dark blue eyes peeking from behind a door.<br>"Mamoru!"  
>Mamoru pulled his friend inside the utility closet. "Come with me." She took the hand he offered, fully trusting his judgement, and so the journey was like flying with the wind in your back. Barely a second passed before they were no longer standing on hospital linoleum, dirty with blood, but on the soft green grass of Elysion. Birds twittered, and Ami had to blink. Minutes ago, she had been elbow deep in a patient, whose heart monitor had given off the warning sounds that came with multi-system organ failure.<p>

"Ami!" Usagi crashed into her, holding her with all her might. "It's okay, it's all okay," the doctor whispered, hoping that as it had always been, it would be true once more. Her patient had died on the table, but her words might still be true. Usagi could fix everything. Absolutely everything.

"Our latest news is over an hour old, Ami," Hiro said softly, and Usagi let go, knowing that there was no time for cuddles and hellos when there might be so many farewells in their future. Hiro was standing next to a large tree, fully in bloom. The green leaves were as big as Ami's hands, and there were tiny white flowers dangling from the branches. She swallowed. The moment reminded her of a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, when Hiro had helped Aiko climb a tree in the park, watching the little girl's every move with eagle eyes. "Can you tell us anything new?" the tall man went on, his voice gruff. He looked exactly like someone who was trying to be calm, but wasn't. For Hiro, being calm and at peace meant moving all the time, be it tapping his foot or playing with his keys. Now he stood still, and it was the only artificial thing in this fully natural world.  
>Helplessly, Ami shrugged her shoulders. "I've been in the OR since it began. I know that the bombing stopped, but that's it. I'm sorry."<br>Mamoru nodded, more to himself than anything else. "I've got to go back now. I'll get Umino and Rei next, they've been waiting for us far too long."

Ami looked around, taking stock. Her heart plummeted. "Wait, what? Where is everyone else?"  
>While misty winds took Mamoru back into the world they'd left, Hiro put his hand on Ami's shoulder, and began to explain.<p>

* * *

><p>The front door slammed open with a bang. In the kitchen, Takeshi instinctively shoved Minako behind him and blocked the doorframe with his own body. She snorted.<br>"This isn't an enemy, Takeshi. An enemy would just throw a bomb and be done with it."  
>He looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes. She arched a brow. "What? You know it's true."<p>

As heavy steps (one set only, he noted, and wondered why Setsuna was so late and when she'd begun to stomp like that) moved towards them, he nevertheless focused electricity in his fingertips. Just a little, just to be safe, in case it wasn't who he thought it was.

And indeed, he found himself surprised.  
>Haruka Tenoh burst into the kitchen and almost careened into him.<br>"Kindly explain to me what THE FUCK IS GOING ON!"

* * *

><p>The crystal floors under his feet were no longer warm. Mamoru let out a breath he'd been very conscious of holding and slowly turned on the spot. The throne room looked untouched; the bombs hadn't affected it at all. That was a good sign. But there was no sign of either Rei or Umino, and he'd been very clear that they were to assemble here and wait for him to pick them up. This could only mean one thing: something had gone wrong.<p>

Since he couldn't go into the dungeons and through every hidden door that lead into the fiery heart of the palace without burning to death (they'd tried, once, in the early days - Usagi wanted to have a look, and when they opened the door, a small wave of lava trickled out, almost burning their shoes off their feet), Mamoru went past the throne, pushed the third wall panel to the left, and slipped into the secret pathway that would take him up to his and Usagi's rooms.

He climbed the stairs in a hurry: there was no knowing what awaited him up there, and just because the bombs had stopped falling, didn't mean they were safe. Arriving at his destination, more out of breath than a man his age had a right to be, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

What he found was like a punch to the gut.  
>"Umino!"<p>

The youngest shitennou lay sprawled on the floor, blood trickling from his nose and pooling on the crystal. Never one to tan, Umino was naturally pale, even in the midst of summer. Now, in the last days of March, not only was he elfin, he looked half dead. His skin had a tinge of blue, like the sky in an impressionist painting. His lack of colour stood in stark contrast to the walls: they were charred black, covered from floor to ceiling in soot and grime. Only the floors were their pristine, crystalline self.

"Umino, wake up!"  
>There was still a pulse. Slow, but it was there, and that was all that mattered now. Calling for the powers of the golden crystal, Mamoru held his friend's hand and concentrated on letting some of the eternal life that was graciously given to him flow into his wounded friend.<br>"E- enough," Umino whispered and tried to take his hand away.  
>"What happened?"<br>Mamoru helped the younger one in a sitting position. The front of Umino's t-shirt, faded and frayed at the seams, not that this owner cared, was covered in blood.

Umino coughed, wheezing. Mamoru had heard that kind of cough before; a ninety-one year old patient who'd died of pneumonia the same night he'd been admitted to the hospital. Resolutely, he send another stream of energy into Umino's hands, which turned a little pink. Soon, the colour crept up above his neck, settling in his cheeks. Better. Much better.  
>"Rei?" Mamoru asked, but Umino shook his head.<br>"Didn't come back up. I think I passed out because I was trying to contain the fire in the dungeons, and not let that explosion outside tear the West Wing down. For a moment, it was just-" He fell silent, searching for the right words. Outside, the sky was a beautiful blue, and the sun had finally risen. "The world was fire, Mamoru. Their fire, but also ours. It was them and us I was battling there, and I have no idea what that means or why it happened and what's going on with Rei."  
>"We can't go down there to get her, can we?"<br>Umino opened his mouth and closed it again. He couldn't answer, he couldn't do that to Ando. And he couldn't do that to Rei because if he knew one thing, it was that Rei Hino belonged in the fire, even if it killed her. She was a woman who understood and embraced destiny and her destiny was and always had been the raging, destructive, monstrous beauty of the flames.

"What happens if we leave?" Mamoru asked. "What happens if you leave?"  
>Umino closed his eyes.<br>"Depends on what they throw at the palace. My wards might hold, but I can't promise it. The building might be destroyed. But judging from what happened… I think it also might self-destruct."

Thinking of Rei in the fire underneath, Mamoru felt his insides go cold. Would she be the first of them to die? Could he leave her behind? Proud Rei Hino, his wife's fiercest friend. The one who had taken the longest to forgive his brothers, but who had given insufferable Ando the second chance he so desperately craved. Rei Hino, former miko, formidable senshi. He couldn't do this. Not after all these years. But then he thought of Makoto and her children, and of Setsuna, and of all the others still waiting to be rescued. The ones not past saving. Wiping at his eyes, he got up. There was only one logical resolution. Only one.  
>"Let's go."<p>

* * *

><p>Haruka was still screaming bloody murder when the door banged open once more and Mamoru Chiba hurried in. She was still shouting herself raw when they'd arrived in Elysion and only stopped when Usagi took her hand and whispered things no one else heard.<p>

Takeshi barely batted an eyelash, neither did Minako.  
>Both were only too aware of the ones missing from their ranks.<br>Rei. Ando. Makoto. Her children. Setsuna. Michiru.

* * *

><p>It was silent in the flat Setsuna Meioh and Takeshi Nakamura shared. The bullet-proof windows kept most of the outside sounds at bay. You could barely hear the sirens up here, and the bombs, well, the air assault had stopped about an hour ago. The quiet was blissful.<p>

The flat's inhabitant sat in front of the TV, which she'd placed on mute. There was no need to hear what she'd seen a thousand times before.

Jadeite in a sea of flames.  
>The fool.<p>

He'd been knocked out by the backlash of his own powers. Throwing a house-sized ball of fire at Wiseman, never sparing a thought, not for one second, that if Wiseman was hiding behind the news van, the people inside the news van would die, too. And the news van would blow up. And take out Wiseman, yes, well done, but also all the ambulances arriving on the scene.

Oh, it was so clear how it would go on from here.  
>So, so clear.<br>She could have told them all, even without her powers to aid her. Even without having seen it happen before. But the way the world turned was her secret burden, and she wasn't allowed to share. There was no reason to. The Queen was safe, and the price was almost paid. She had gone to the future more than once, never telling anyone, gliding in and out of the mists of time. She'd observed from the sidelines and returned home to continue to do nothing, nothing at all.

No, Ando Tanaka's brave act of foolery hadn't shocked her.  
>Her boyfriend's selection of a safe place however had.<p>

She turned the TV off just as the newscasters reported that the Queen's head of PR had been arrested on the charges of terrorism, treason, cold blooded murder and- magic.

* * *

><p><strong>*** End of Chapter 14 ***<strong>


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard._

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

He was all alone except for the camera mounted to the ceiling. It made a faint buzzing sound as it zoomed in on him, capturing his face, his bleary eyes and sallow skin. It was this sound that had woken him.

Ando sat up on the bare metal cot he'd been sleeping on. Well, if you could call it sleeping. He'd probably been semi-comatose, what with the blast from the fire. The fire… Had he gotten Wiseman? Had he killed him? If he was in here, then his gung-ho mission must have failed. Fuck. Ando rubbed his eyes. The backlash from the ball of flame that he'd thrown and the explosion that had followed must have knocked him out. He had to get out of here, get back to the palace. Get back before Rei or Minako or Umino came to save him. That would be too risky for them, but they were too fucking brave and noble not to come.

Ando began to take inventory, ignoring the dull hammering in his head: where was the room's weak spot? He attuned his other senses, reaching out with his mind. There was one wall that was covered with a mirror from floor to ceiling, and behind it, there were at least five people watching him. Their thoughts rang loud and clear in his head. He swallowed, but his throat had already gone dry.

They didn't belong to Wiseman.

And their hearts were full of fear.

* * *

><p>Mamoru had hated leaving Usagi. Again. Especially when she was so distressed. He hadn't spelled out what had happened to Rei, but her absence spoke louder than any words could. Rei Hino was gone, trapped or dead into the angry fires of the volcano she thought she could tame. Either way, she was lost to them. Forever.<p>

But Ami and Minako were there, framing his wife, helping her to stay steady, while Haruka glared on, and Takeshi and Umino made sure Elysion was as safe as they needed it to be. He himself had been sent to retrieve Michiru, Makoto and the children, and Setsuna. But once more, Mamoru Chiba was destined to fail. There was a note pinned to the door of Hiro's parents' house, hastily scribbled as the world began to fall apart.

_"Hiro, Makoto,_

_we've taken Yoshi to our cabin in the mountains. Whatever is happening seems to be constricted to Tokyo. We so hope you're safe! Please call to let us know you and Aiko are safe, or better still, follow us as soon as you can._

_Mum and Dad"_

With a sense of heavy foreboding, Mamoru had teleported to the house Hiro shared with his happy family, but nothing, not even the charred palace and Umino half-dead on the floor, could have prepared him for what he found.

The house was the only one left standing in the street, a glittering, deserted ruin in the sunlight, shimmering, shining, crackling with energy. Completely encased with crystals, it had withstood the attack, but there was no way in, and more importantly, no way out. Mamoru carefully stepped closer, not paying attention if anyone was watching him.

He could hear the tell-tale buzz of electricity, the crackling noises when electrons smashed against each other with the force of a thousand thunderbolts. This was the power of Jupiter, deadly and protective.

"Oh God," Mamoru muttered, as he began to understand. Makoto was in here. With Aiko. Underneath the crystal and the wild lightning that ran all over it in a mad dance.

Closing his eyes, he teleported away, to the location where Michiru's transmitter had given its last signal, hoping to find the senshi of the sea alive.

* * *

><p>He could see the Aston Martin, its white body floating in the middle of a lake that had not been there the last time he had driven to Michiru's and Haruka's place. Part of the motorway was gone, simply gone, and now all he could see was a large crater filled with shimmering deep blue-green water. Every once in a while, a cloud of waterlilies dotted the surface, and the sun was caught on the water, shining, reflecting, glittering. It was almost idyllic, very Monet, as Michiru would have said with one of her cynical little smiles, had it not been for what surrounded the lake.<p>

The edge of the water was guarded by crystal spires as tall as two men, sharp and ready for anyone who dared to trespass. You could easily look through them, the crystal was so fine, but neither rose nor sword could pierce their smooth surface and let him wade out towards the car. Mamoru took a step back and surveyed the area. To his right, a few of the crystals were spaced wider apart, so he made his way there and reached past them for the water. He wasn't even sure why he did it, it wasn't as if Michiru was just swimming in there, waiting for a hand to help her out of a pool. But something was nagging at the back of his mind, a thought begging for entrance.

As soon as his hand came into touch with the icy water, a new crystal shot up. Mamoru snatched his hand back, ignoring the bleeding gash, ignoring the pain. The crystals functioned as guardians… but whether it was a tomb or a sanctuary they guarded, he could not tell.

* * *

><p>By the time he appeared in front of Takeshi's and Setsuna's flat, he felt drained. He'd cared about Michiru, loved Makoto like a sister and her little girl as if she were his own, and had always wished nothing but happiness for Rei. Now three of his wife's comrades were gone, and he had no idea if he could get them back, if anyone could get them back. They were one with their elements: Rei with the fire of the volcano, Makoto with the raging lightning bolts, and Michiru with the sea. If Setsuna was similarly encased, he'd not only have to tell Hiro that he wasn't sure if his wife and daughter lived, but also tell Takeshi, tall, strong, stoic Takeshi, that his companion too had been taken from them… he couldn't even bear to think of it.<p>

With a last trace of hope, he knocked against the sleek metal door.

It was opened so promptly that he wondered whether the flat's inhabitant had known all along that he would come for her. "Oh, thank God," Mamoru bit out, and buried his face in his hands. At least one.

"Mamoru, what a pleasure to see you," Setsuna said, her voice as calm and controlled as it had been in all the years he knew her and as if the King of the planet wasn't standing in front of her like a crying schoolboy.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he tried to regain control, pushing fear and sadness as far away as he could. "We're in Elysion, all of us. Let me take you there, then I can come back for Ando, and we can figure out what to do." He tried a smile, and failed. Hot tears burned in his eyes.

"Oh Mamoru." Setsuna's hand twitched, as if she was unsure of whether to reach for his hand or not. She instead folded her hands in front of her stomach.

"I have news. Wiseman is dead, Mam-"

"Really?" the king asked, relief and disbelief mingling in his eyes. "But- that's great. Come on, let's go to Elysion, we need to tell the others."

"We do not need to hide in Elysion, Mamoru. Bring them here, we're safe now."

Mamoru exhaled. "Give me a moment to digest this. Wait… Setsuna, how did he die?"

Setsuna looked down and inside the flat, a clock ticked. "By fire."

"Is… Rei? Was it Rei? Is she here?" She shook her head, killing the spark of hope before it could become more, could wound deeper.

"It was Ando. And he has been imprisoned for it."

"That makes no sense. Who would take him prisoner for killing a terrorist? Wiseman's disciples? Where is he, I can get him out." He'd ask Umino and Takeshi to help him. A quick mission, in and out within an hour. Umino could find the weak spot in Wiseman's lair, and then he and Takeshi could breach it. Not easy, but with Wiseman himself out of the picture, it should be doable.

Setsuna shook her head.

"No, Mamoru. Not Wiseman's aides. Your people." Setsuna looked up, her eyes now hard. "And now, my king, please bring the queen and everyone else here. As you can see, we need to talk."

* * *

><p>Once again, he'd had to drag Haruka, who was fighting, screaming, kicking, biting. She refused to enter Setsuna's and Takeshi's flat, insisting Mamoru take her to her wife, take her to Michiru, because of course she could get her out of a lake, just because he was too weak to do it didn't mean she couldn't. And on and on it went, until Mamoru agreed, leaving everyone else with Setsuna.<p>

Haruka and Mamoru returned half an hour later. Haruka's hands, arms, and face were littered with cuts, some deep and bleeding, some thin and burning. She was soaked to the bones, dripping salty water on the floor.

All the fight had gone out of her.

And in that, she was just like Hiro, who was as silent as a grave. He hadn't said a word since he'd received the news about his wife and daughter, about the relative safety of his parents and son. His tall hulking mass was like a tombstone in their midst, silent and remonstrating.

Setsuna came in bearing a tray with hot tea and neatly arranged sandwiches, carefully setting it down on the living room table. Nobody seemed willing or able to speak.

Eventually, it was Minako who broke the silence. Still clad in her blood-stained dress, with bruises shining on her arms, her right hand in a make-shift bandage and her broken ribs aching, she stood tall. Mamoru both admired and resented her for it.

"Ami, find out whether Yoshi and Hiro's parents are really okay, and take a second to check up on your mother, too. Setsuna, I will need some painkillers, if you would be so kind." She glanced at the sandwiches, perfect little triangles, and for a second, disdain flitted across her features. Ami opened her compact computer and began typing furiously before Minako had even finished speaking.

"Umino, we need to know whether we can safely return to the palace. Takeshi," here she paused, just for a second, as their eyes met, before she barrelled on. "We need to know what's going on with Ando, and whether we can safely retrieve him. So go put on a tie and get to work. iLiterally/i."

"And what should I do," Usagi asked, sounding as utterly broken as she hadn't since the days of Galaxia.

"You, my love," Minako replied steadily, "will fix your hair. You're going to be on live television."

* * *

><p>It was a short announcement in the 8 o'clock news on every channel.<p>

The Queen of Tokyo perched in a simple white armchair, looking simultaneously frail and strong, wounded and safe, sad and decisive.

"Today, our city, our home bleeds. These terrorist attacks have shaken us deeply, but I can confirm that the head of this poisonous operation has been-" here she faltered for a second, visibly having to compose herself. There were tears shining in her eyes, and Minako thought that she couldn't have arranged it better if she wiped Usagi's lids with raw onions. "I'm sorry," the Queen whispered before continuing. "I can confirm that the head of this poisonous operation has been eradicated, albeit at a horrible cost."

"We are safe for now. But I urge you to be careful while the police and the military clear the streets, while our brave doctors tend to our wounded, and while the priests help us all to mourn. I cannot promise you that his has been it, but my husband and I are working to return peace to this beautiful city and safety to its inhabitants."

A flicker of a smile, just enough to promise hope, and the announcement was over.

"Cut," Minako whispered, and Umino turned the camera off. Ami clicked and typed for another moment, and then nodded. "It's online too."

"Good," Minako said. She'd placed a few quick calls, alerting her contacts in the TV channel that they'd receive a live feed of the Queen for their evening news, and everything had run smoothly. She'd made Usagi put on a white knit dress of Setsuna's, understated and elegant, and had told their little Queen to wear her hair open.

Mamoru stood in the corner, not quite frowning, but not happy either.

Minako sighed, and her ribs ached. If she liked him any better, she'd have long since asked him to fix her broken bones, but this was simply not how they rolled.

"Mamoru, we need to perpetuate the idea that you are busy healing, busy saving. Only one of you at a time, in any given medium. Tomorrow, Setsuna and Umino will escort you to a trauma centre, while Usagi remains unseen."

He thought about it, and nodded. "Fine."

From the doorway, Setsuna interjected. "I wasn't aware I was on rotation."

Usagi looked up, confusion in her features. "Don't you want to go with Mamo?"

The guardian of time shook her head. "That's not it, it's-"

"Setsuna," Minako cut across her, anger blazing in her eyes, "this is all hands on deck. We're three active senshi short, so you'll have to leave your precious pedestal of temporal and spatial isolation and do. what. you're. told. Which, by the way, includes calling Hotaru. We need her here."

"Of course," Setsuna said, looking effortlessly unruffled by the criticism, and left.

Minako turned to Usagi again, forcing a smile on her face. "You did wonderfully. And now excuse me for a second."

She left the study, and hurried after Setsuna. Instead, it was Takeshi she crashed into as he strode down the corridor. His face was drawn.

"We have a problem."

* * *

><p>They were all assembled in the living room again, the sandwiches still untouched, and no longer quite as perfect on the delicate plate. Their edges were slowly turning upwards, the salad was limp, and the mayonnaise had gone grey.<p>

All eyes were on Takeshi.

"Ando has been arrested for the malignant use of magic. He is in the cellars underneath the Ministry for Agriculture, it's, as I only found out today, the headquarters of a secret branch of the Department of Defence." There was no doubt in Minako's mind that someone would have to pay dearly for not telling Takeshi about this secret branch and its even more secret hidey-holes. That would be an altogether deeply uncomfortable day at the office.

"The assumption right now is that he worked alongside Wiseman and was simply aiming to kill civilians. They want to try and execute him within the week. They currently drawing up some emergency legislature and have asked me to pass this first draft along." He tossed a manila envelope on the coffee table. A big red stamp announced that it was both TOP SECRET and URGENT.

Usagi shook her head vehemently. "Let me go on TV again. I'll explain he's one of us and that he tried to end the attacks. Then they'll let him go and perhaps he can go get Rei from the volcano. Right? I mean, perhaps she's still… She could still be alive. And fire won't harm him, will it?"

Mamoru took his wife's hand in his own. He couldn't bring himself to say it, but there was no doubt in his mind that Rei hadn't survived the chaos of flames and lava she and Ando had wrought. As if reading his mind, Usagi was beginning to cry, and nestled into his arms. They were sitting on one couch, as close together as possible, while Umino and Ami shared an armchair. Hiro and Haruka were leaning against the wall, two shell-shocked pillars of silence, witnesses of the destruction that had been rained on them in the span of one day. Minako and Setsuna sat next to each other on the other couch, each in one corner, carefully not touching.

"That's not going to work, is it?" Mamoru finally asked, his eyes never leaving Takeshi's, while his hands never stopped stroking Usagi's back.

It was Setsuna who answered. "Strategically speaking, the best thing you could do is to not associate with him. Let people think he was a spy who infiltrated the palace. It's better if the people don't know that it's not just you and Mamoru with magical powers. It's safer."

Minako slowly turned her head to her right, eyeing Setsuna. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, but she didn't say a word.

"No way," Umino exclaimed, and jumped up, startling Ami. "Without Ando, Wiseman would still be running rampant. We don't leave Ando behind. He is not our sacrificial lamb. I refuse." He turned to Mamoru, who had trouble meeting his eyes. "Do you hear me? I refuse." He was trembling, his hands shaking violently.

"I say we do it," Haruka suddenly said, her voice hoarse. "We would all willingly sacrifice ourselves for our King and Queen, it's what we were born to do. It's what Rei and Michiru died for."

"They might not be dead," Hiro muttered before leaving the room, every step of his heavy. After a while, they heard the front door slam. Umino sank back into the seat.

"We could break him out in secret," Ami suggested quickly. "Hide him in Elysion."

"We cannot create illusions, Ami", Takeshi reprimanded her softly. "If we break him out, and people see us, then parts of Mamoru's and Usagi's covers and safety nets will be destroyed. It's too risky."

Minako got up, wincing. Setsuna reached next to the disdained plate of sandwiches and handed her a bottle of pills. Minako waved them away. She needed to be alert, needed her mind undulled by medicine. Pain would keep her lucid. She too made for the door.

"Where are you going?" Takeshi calmly asked.

"Following Hiro," she replied without stopping.

"I'll drive."

* * *

><p>He'd gone to his house. Of course.<p>

Standing back, Minako and Takeshi watched him as he stood in front of his home, crackling and bustling with electricity. It looked so alien, so uncanny.

"In Michiru's vision, Aiko died, and Makoto was critically wounded," Minako said in a low voice, careful that Hiro wouldn't be able to hear her.

Takeshi looked at his feet. He was wearing his favourite handmade Crockett & Jones leather shoes. He'd had them for years, polishing them once a week with due diligence. He used to do it every Sunday evening, back when he still had Attila and- Minako. He remembered that she'd always laughed, saying that they were stinking up their living room, she with her nail polish and he with his shoeshine and then she'd kissed him and forgetting her freshly polished nails, petted the dog that dozed at their feet.

"Is that a comment or a question?" he finally said. There was a cut in the leather of the left shoe. It must have been from the debris around the palace.

"I don't know," Minako said wearily.

Around them, the sun was setting, bathing the ruins of the street in a softer, pastel light. The moon was already out, shining in the sky. Sometimes, Minako felt as if it was mocking her. Ruins above, ruins below, and she always caught up in them.

"In the vision, I had also made an alliance with Wiseman," Takeshi offered.

"And you haven't," Minako replied, her eyes on Hiro's hulking form. The way his shoulders moved told her that he was crying, no, sobbing. So he too, much like Mamoru, believed her sisters lost. Could Makoto be alive underneath all that electricity? Could Rei survive in a pit of fire, Michiru deep underneath the water? Usagi had once been buried under crystal, their very own Snow White. Was it the same now? Were these protective fields or magical coffins? She simply did not know.

"The vision doesn't need to be true."

"Of course it doesn't. It isn't. You are not striking a bargain with Wiseman, Wiseman is dead, and it is Michiru and not Haruka who has…" Here her voice faltered.

Takeshi cleared his throat. "I say we give Hiro another minute, and then we take him back to my house."

"And then we do what? Get our tickets for Ando's execution?"

She turned to look at him, and like so often since they'd split, he had no idea what was she was thinking.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Before Takeshi could find out what exactly Minako thought him capable of, Hiro turned around and made their way back, climbing into Takeshi's X5 without saying a word.

"Let's go hom- back to your place," Minako said, correcting herself. They no longer had a home to return to.

But wherever they went, she hoped they'd get there without Hiro breaking into tears again.

* * *

><p>While Umino had asserted that parts of the palace could be made habitable again, he was still too physically and mentally exhausted to recreate the wards. He'd need another day, a night of sleep, before he could work on them.<p>

So for one night, all of them stayed in Setsuna's and Takeshi's flat. Takeshi had predictably insisted that Mamoru and Usagi take the master bedroom, and just as predictably, Usagi had insisted that Hiro and Haruka stay in there with them. Ami and Umino were in the small spare bedroom that Takeshi had initially stayed in before he and Setsuna had become a couple. Setsuna and Takeshi themselves were in the living room, and in different circumstances, Minako would have found it funny that the two primmest and properest people were sleeping on sofas that were too short for them.

But the circumstances weren't different, and she was sitting on a blow-up bed in her ex-boyfriend's study, wearing his new girlfriend's perfect pyjamas, and was trying not cry. The pain in her ribs had only gotten worse after the tense car ride with Hiro, and her wrist was killing her. It was the physical pain she concentrated on, pushing everything else aside. She couldn't allow herself to think of Rei, Mako, Michiru, or God forbid, Aiko. Not Aiko. So instead she gave into the physical pain, and allowed herself to wallow in it, ignoring the bottle of painkillers Setsuna had pointedly placed on one of the desks.

A knock on the door announced a late-night visitor. Minako hastily wiped her face with her left hand. Of course Usagi had come to invite her to grievers' cuddlefest. "Usa, I'm fine, go back to bed."

The door opened. "She's asleep," Mamoru whispered, stepped in, and closed the door behind him.

"Good," Minako replied, trying to sound certain. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and knelt down in front of her, reaching for her right hand without asking. The pain lessened the second his skin touched hers.

"That's really not necessary," Minako said, but didn't draw her hand back. "Go back to bed, Mamoru."

"What else?" he asked, ignoring her protest. "From the way you move, I guess you took a hit in the ribs?"

Minako inhaled. There was no point pretending. "Yes."

"If I ask you how you got hurt, and why you've got bruises in the shape of fingerprints on your arm, will I get an honest answer?"

Minako smiled, and almost meant it. "No."

"Okay then."

"You're not just here to heal me, are you?"

This time, it was Mamoru who half-smiled.

"No."

They were silent for a little while while a golden warmth spread through Minako's body. Slowly, the pain in her wrist and ribs faded away. She sighed. "Thank you."

"Is everything gone?" Mamoru asked, and Minako pulled the sleeves of the pyjamas up. Her arms were tan and unmarked. "Even the smallest scratch," she whispered. It was the first time she had felt Mamoru's powers herself. She'd been rejuvenated by Usagi, had been reborn, had recovered from grievous injuries, had returned from the dead in every way one could, but her pain had never been magically taken away like this. It was a small wonder. What a pity that Mamoru couldn't do with grief what he'd done with broken bones.

"So quid pro quo," Minako said, abandoning her futile musings, and looked at her best friend's husband. "What do you want?"

Mamoru sat back on his heels. "Something about the site of Michiru's accident bugged me. Makoto is inside her house," he went on, "which is encased by crystals. Rei is in the fire, which too is encased by crystal. But Michiru…"

"Yes?"

"The car is in the middle of a lake. And the rim, not the surface, is covered by crystals. The car is untouched."

"I'm not following."

"It's a crater, the lake is a crater. And I think the water is there because Michiru was trying to deal with what had put it there. And this is where you come in."

Minako frowned. "I don't understand."

"Why did the Moon pull back its dignitaries?"

Minako blinked. "In the Silver Millennium?"

He nodded.

"You mean other than Beryl and her influence?"

Mamoru fixed her with his midnight blue eyes. He waited.

And then the penny dropped and Minako's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my God!"

"So I was right," Mamoru said, even though he'd fervently hoped to have been wrong.

"We called them sun spots. Initially, I thought they were just regular volcanoes, but then they kept spreading and spreading and-"

"I think one was coming into being where Michiru drove."

"And she put it out," Minako replied, piecing it together.

Mamoru looked her straight into the eyes.

"And died doing it."

* * *

><p>Ando didn't know whether it was day or night when the door to his cell finally opened. He knew that the people behind the mirror had left at some point, been replaced by new ones, who too had left, and so it had gone for what had felt like at least a day. Nobody had come in to speak to him, nobody had brought him food or water, but he knew that it wasn't out of maliciousness. The people outside the door had been too afraid to come near him.<p>

So whoever was making their way to him now was either brave or stupid or _Takeshi_.

He entered, and to make matters even more unlikely, was carrying a folding chair and a lunchbox that looked like it was straight from the 1950s.

"Mr. Tanaka," he said, sounding grave as he put the lunchbox on the metal cot and folded out the chair. "While you have the right to an attorney, I thought it prudent if we would speak alone first. Do you agree?"

Takeshi arched his brow and Ando frowned. It took him a moment longer than he cared to admit to catch Takeshi's meaning. Must be the dehydration. His fellow shitennou was asking him whether they truly were alone. Ando closed his eyes and concentrated on their surroundings. No, there was nobody behind the mirror and all the corridors around them were empty too. Not a thought on the floor.

"Of course," Ando replied and looked at the floor, muttering "camera" under his breath. Takeshi walked to the lunchbox and opened it, offering Ando the store-bought sandwich and bottle of water it contained. When Ando accepted it from his hands, a whizzing sound and the smell of something singed told him that a small burst of electricity had taken care of the surveillance.

Takeshi wasted no time, speaking quickly and intently. For once in his life, Ando knew to shut up and listen.

"What I have to say is not pleasant and I regret that it has to be me who tells you. Minako and Umino wanted to do it, but we couldn't get them in here without raising suspicion. You have been imprisoned because of what is seen as your abuse of magic and because of the people who died in the explosion that took out Wiseman. Usagi and Mamoru have no part in your arrest. The government is pushing for a legislative that will allow them to execute you within the week. We are still fielding our options, trying to find a way to get you out that won't reflect badly on King and Queen."

He paused for a second, and Ando interjected. He'd let Takeshi go interrupted for more than three sentences, he didn't have any more patience in him. He wasn't Mother Theresa.

"Is everyone safe? You mentioned Usagi and Mamoru, Umino and Minako. What about the others?"

Takeshi closed his eyes and Ando plucked the thought from his mind before he had the chance to say the words.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his own voice breaking. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Takeshi shook his head. "Not absolutely, no. But the odds are… it's lava and fire and deep waters and electricity, Ando. We have little hope."

Ando nodded, and took a few steps, a restless, caged animal. His hands twitched, and a thin wisp of smoke curled from his right index finger.

"Ando…" Takeshi said warningly, and Ando looked down, stupefied. He hadn't even noticed the smoke, or the little red ball of fire that had caused.

"It was me," he whispered as realisation flooded him, and looked into Takeshi's eyes. Eyes that were full of pity. Because who wouldn't pity a man who'd contributed to his soulmate's death. By drawing on the powers of the volcano while Rei was trying to tame it, he'd unleashed more fire than even she could handle.

He'd killed her.

He'd killed Rei.

* * *

><p>*** End of Chapter 15 ***<p> 


	17. Chapter 16

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard._

verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Setsuna's and Takeshi's bedroom was naturally very sleek and clean. There was only one framed print on the wall, a black and white skyline. Nothing so common as Paris, New York, London. It was Athens, its ancient buildings impressive even under a sky that was robbed of its daily cornflower blue, or its equally beautiful midnight shades.<p>

The walls were painted white, the linens were white, the curtains were, too. The only blast of colour in the room came from the deep purple roses on the vanity. It was a tradition: every Saturday, Takeshi would bring Setsuna flowers. Always roses, always in a berry colour. She had long ago given up wondering why he never brought her anything yellow or orange. Thoughts like that were Pandora's box, and she was far too smart to open it.

Right now, Takeshi was with Ando, and it was a duty Setsuna was not envious of. Telling Ando that he had killed Rei, albeit by accident, was an experience she could gladly do without. Setsuna moved to the window, brushing the curtains aside. The attacks had stopped, but the growth of the crystals had not. They had begun spreading again. Like fire that greedily consumed everything in its path, the crystals had claimed the city.

They had given Tokyo a skyline unlike any other in the world, but Setsuna knew that there would be too few left living to turn the ragged lines against the midnight sky into art. Every single place once tainted by darkness, every spot where they senshi had fought a monster, the crystal now reclaimed. Every new volcano that appeared, it covered. It was a protective growth, but that didn't make it any less deadly.

She laughed, a sorry sound in the silence, and her hand flew to her mouth to cover it.

Crystal Tokyo. It was a joke they all had gotten far too late.

* * *

><p>"We could just stay in Elysion," Umino suggested in hushed, hurried whispers, trying not to wake Usagi, who had finally fallen asleep with her head on Ami's lap. The little queen was sprawled on the couch, relegating everyone else to the armchair or floor. The tears in the corners of her eyes hadn't yet dried. "Wait until the volcanoes have either taken over or gone quiet, wait until people forget what Ando did. We could sit it out here in Elysion, and then return when things are safe again and-"<p>

"That could be hundreds of years," Mamoru interjected, shaking his head. The discussion had gone on for hours, begun long before Takeshi left to deliver the news to Ando, but Umino was not willing to give up. There was a defiance in his eyes, his chin jutted upwards.

"Elysion is safe. A hundred years in safety are nothing to people who do not age, Mamoru. This might be how it was always supposed to be. It would only be logical."

"Maybe so, maybe not. We don't know how the future comes into being. Perhaps this is precisely what happened? It would explain why we never saw Ando in the future." Mamoru whispered back, returning to a point he had made more than once tonight. He didn't want Ando to die, but he couldn't jeopardise everything. He was responsible for every soul inside and outside the walls of Takeshi's home and he would not let them down.

Umino gave his king a long hard look. "You also didn't see me or Takeshi, but you did see Rei and Makoto."

Ami ran a hand over Usagi's head, lost in thought and no longer willing or able to pay attention to her husband's argument with Mamoru. She had taken care of everyone in the last day: had calmed Usagi, had given Haruka and Hiro some tranquilisers, made sure Umino ate something, had reasoned with Mamoru and Takeshi, and exchanged significant looks with Setsuna. The only person she hadn't been able to speak with or aid in any way was Minako, who had disappeared right after Takeshi had left to tell Ando about Rei. While Mamoru's and Umino's hushed conversation continued, Ami kept on stroking Usagi, soothing herself just as much as the sleeping queen. When they'd been younger and had spent countless nights sleeping on the floor in the temple, they had always cuddled, always slept close to each other. Like puppies, Makoto had once said, laughing. Ami had always loved it. It was an affection given that she could never ask for, and her friends had provided it without question. Now Rei and Makoto were gone, and Michiru too, and the crystals were spreading.

Ami had always been the smartest kid in the class. Had known every answer, had found the solution to every problem. It was only when the crystals had shot up over what she hoped weren't Rei's, Makoto's, and Michiru's final resting places, that she understood what Crystal Tokyo was. The truth no-one had ever spoken.

The crystals protected the senshi. They protected the city. They were the apocalypse before their utopia. In the future they had seen, this was no less true than in the future they were heading towards now, with the shitennou by their side. Ami still hoped that, as had been the case so often, some magical item or power-up would appear to solve their problems, returning their three lost sisters. Chibi-Usa would be born.

She began to twirl a strand of Usagi's long hair. It had grown again. Back when they were still school girls, Minako had once cut it and it had regrown in a day. It was one of the many puzzle pieces in revealing Usagi as their Serenity.

Ami had no doubt that Mamoru would rather have Ando executed than risk the existence of the Crystal Tokyo they had once seen. The one with his wife and daughter safe and sound in it. The horrible thing was, because it was logical, utterly logical, she would do the same.

* * *

><p>Minako was outside, under the starry midnight sky, toying with a pack of cigarettes. She hadn't smoked in ages, but she was sorely tempted now. Just to have something to do other than wait for Takeshi to return or Mamoru and Usagi to make a decision. Mamoru was knee deep in denial, telling himself that letting Ando take the fall for them all would reconstitute the future their king wished for. Ridiculous. She snorted and turned the pack in her hand, over and over again, and looked up.<p>

The stars twinkled as if the fate of their world wasn't being decided right then and there.

If you were prone to hiding from the truth, running away from your problems, then looking up at the sky would be the best thing you could do, Minako thought with uncharacteristic cynicism. Even though the city was ravaged by attacks and crystals, the sky looked as it ever did. Like a postcard.

And then she remembered all the postcards Ando had written to both her and Rei over the years, chronicling his adventures in far away lands, a smile or grin in almost every line.

She chucked the pack on the floor, turned on her heels, and strode back into the skyscraper.

* * *

><p>She returned to find the apartment in upheaval. Haruka had woken and was in an argument with Ami of all people.<p>

As Minako entered the living room, Haruka snorted. "No, Ami, it could not be 'precisely what happened'. Because the future as we knew it did contain Chibi-Usa and did not contain the shitennou. And most importantly, it contained my iwife/i."

"Setsuna?" Usagi, with sleep and tears in her eyes, pleaded as she turned to the senshi of time. Setsuna opened her mouth, trying to find the right words.

Before the senshi of time composed an answer, Minako did it for her. She leaned against the doorframe, eyeing the scene in front of her. "Usagi, Setsuna cannot tell us anything. We have to make a decision, and only when that decision is made, does any kind of future manifest itself. There is no one plan etched in stone."

"So you think there is no destiny," Umino asked, sounding surprised.

Minako shrugged. "I believe our decisions matter more." She gave Mamoru a significant look. She had always believed in her queen, and Usagi had always believed in the power of love. Convincing Usagi to save Ando was a piece of cake. Convincing Mamoru, and, as it turned out, Ami and Haruka, was another kettle of fish altogether.

In the hallway behind her, the door to their apartment opened once more. Minako recognised Takeshi's footsteps immediately. She resisted the urge to turn around, instead listening (as everyone else was doing too) as Takeshi retrieved Hiro from the bedroom. Together, the two men entered the living room.

Takeshi smiled tersely at Mamoru and Usagi, and Minako felt a shiver run down her spine. A lifetime and a half at his side had taught her exactly what this look meant.

"I have spoken with Ando," Takeshi said. "He wishes to serve his king and queen to the best of his abilities and-"

"No," Umino whispered, turning ashen.

"And he wishes to do so in whichever form is necessary," Takeshi continued. "He has asked me to tell you that this is his wish and that you shouldn't interfere with it." The leader of the shitennou gave the guard's youngest member a look. "It's what he wants, Umino. He says that he'll see you in another life."

"Good," Haruka spat out. "That should re-establish Usagi and Mamoru as non-threatening people of magic and help return peace to the city. Conversation closed."

"The crystal is still doing damage, irrespective of whether you let Ando fall on his sword," Umino said. He'd gotten up, and there was fire in his green eyes. "This city is doomed to fail." He turned to Usagi. "Usa, let's get Ando, let's go to Elysion, and once the volcanoes and crystals have run their natural cause, as I'm sure they will, we can return and rebuild. Together."

"What about Yoshi?" Hiro asked quietly. "What about my parents? What about yours? What about the families we have left, Umino?"

"We take them," Usagi said immediately, while Mamoru shook his head. "You can't enter Elysion unless you are…" he fished for the right word and finally, with an expression of disdain, said: "supernatural. We could perhaps be lucky with Yoshi, but we couldn't take your parents, Hiro. I'm sorry."

"Then I vote we let Ando do his thing."

"His thing?" Umino asked. "His THING? Are you- Hiromasa, we are talking about execution here."

"We are talking about sacrifice," Ami said quietly. "It would buy us more time. We can re-route the crystals the way we did with the palace. It'll be exhausting, but we can do it."

"You want to grow Crystal Tokyo," Minako said slowly.

"Are you sure it would work?" Mamoru asked.

"What he wants to ask is whether you're sure it would work without Michiru, Rei, and Makoto," Haruka interspersed, and the conversation erupted like the volcano that had killed Rei.

Minako looked at her friends.

They were keen.

They'd found hope.

They'd let Ando die.

She looked at Usagi, who was biting her bottom lip.

"It's Ando's decision," the queen said finally, looking sad and regal. "But for what it's worth, I wish he'd decide otherwise."

* * *

><p>The next day, the remaining senshi and their queen teleported to a former site of battle. It was one where they'd fought alongside the Sailor Starlights, now long since returned to their own galaxy. Minako didn't even remember what kind of monster she thrown her magic at here. It was without a doubt grotesque, evil, and banished at a moment's notice. And they'd thought things had been hard back then.<p>

A small volcano was forming there. It was in its beginning stages, which was why Ami had chosen this space. They had used the crystal to seal the volcano under the palace, but the trick had been to turn the crystal into a habitable space. That's where the difficulty lay.

Sailor Moon knelt down and stretched a gloved hand over the smoking, charred floor. "Heal," she whispered and the smoke died away instantly. A small crystal grew from the floor as if it were a flower and Sailor Moon was the sun.

"Stop," Sailor Moon commanded, and the crystal did. She exhaled, and the tension left her shoulders.

"So it's still controllable," Uranus commented. "Good. Now let's go to one that has already grown and see whether we can transform it."

Their next destination was Naru Osaka's childhood home. Naru's mother had long since closed the jewelry shop and retired to the countryside, which was a good thing as the crystals had burst into being with a vengeance. They were wild and untamed and a part of Minako hoped they'd stay like that. If they couldn't reshape them, then Tokyo was lost to their protective but dangerous power anyway, and there'd be no reason for Ando to be executed. But the part of Minako Aino that was Sailor Venus diligently took Sailor Moon's outstretched hand in her left and Sailor Mercury's in her right and closed her eyes, focusing her power on the ruins. A golden, tingly warmth spread through her body. Serenity.

She opened her eyes again and what had formerly been a wild mass was now recognisable as a tower. She looked at her queen: Sailor Moon hadn't even broken a sweat.

* * *

><p>Hiro had left the flat. Of course, Umino knew where he'd gone. He was at his house, staring at the crackling crystal, hoping his wife and daughter were still alive underneath. Umino had thought about coming with him, but then he'd remembered how easily Hiro had abandoned the idea of saving Ando and unable to quelch the bitterness growing in him, had remained in Takeshi's flat.<p>

Its original tenants were in their bedroom, and Umino could hear them talking behind the closed doors. They sounded so very normal. Their voices weren't hushed or hurried, and nothing betrayed the importance of this day in all of their lives.

Taking a bite from one of the fancy cookies on Setsuna's equally fancy china, he tried to come up with a way to create the illusion of Ando's death. If he could fake his friend's death, then there was really no reason why Ando couldn't just go Elysion and hide there for- well, a few hundred years.

They'd find some way to retrieve Makoto and Aiko from the house and then they'd hopefully be able to do the same for Michiru. Umino had little to no hope for Rei though. He'd felt the force of the fire: there was no way she could have survived. But that didn't mean Ando had to die. There were still enough senshi to aid Usagi and-

he dropped his cookie, got up, went to knock at the bedroom door, and stopped himself. Teetering on the spot, Umino's mind went in overdrive.

* * *

><p>Minako had dressed conservatively. Well, not that she'd had a choice. With her own clothes still in the palace, she, much like Usagi and Ami, had been forced to accept Setsuna's gracious offer to draw on her rich closet. A grey cashmere cardigan set and a mini skirt that unflatteringly came down in the middle of her knees because of course Setsuna was just so damn tall.<p>

Now she was in the oh so hallowed halls of the CTCT where Takeshi still held an office. She hated this place for a number of reasons, but plastered a smile on her face anyway and greeted everyone she walked past as she made her way towards Takeshi's office. People knew her here: the Queen's PR woman, her liaison for all things media. Of course, they also knew that she usually partnered with Ando Tanaka, which explained the rather lukewarm response to her fake cheerfulness. Ando had shaken people's hard-earned belief that magic was a good thing.

She fought the cold dread pooling in her stomach and went on, giving her best to seem unaffected, unworried. What the people needed to see from anyone affiliated with Usagi and Mamoru were the three C's: calm, cheer, compassion. Of course, the part with the cheer would work so much better if she wasn't forced to adopt Setsuna's graveyard sartorial style. Just as she reached the part of the building she was heading towards, she saw a familiar back retreating down a very unfamiliar corridor.

"Takeshi, wait."

Takeshi turned around without breaking his stride. "Minako, not now. I have to talk to-"

"Setsuna, I know. And people. All people. But you owe me this."

He came to a stop and slowly turned to face her. His face had gone rigid.

"One minute, Takeshi, one."

"Fine," he acknowledged without enthusiasm.

He opened a door marked NO ENTRY and ushered her in. They were in a small, dark, unused office that was mainly taken up by a giant shredder. A couple of boxes filled with documents were shoved against one wall and there was neither a computer nor a window. Interesting. So this was where the CTCT buried its dark secrets, Minako thought, and looked around curiously. No phone either. She hadn't considered that the CTCT had any secrets but the slightly mythical nature of both its former and current head of department.

"Talk." Takeshi crossed both arms in front of his chest, an unusually explanative gesture on his part. Clearly, he knew what this conversation was going to be about.

Minako sighed. "You can't seriously let a mob of scared people shoot one of your own to make a peace that won't last."

"It's Ando's decision, Minako, not mine."

"He doesn't know what he's thinking. He just lost Rei. Thinks he killed her, even, or had a hand in her death, which is very much the same, so Takeshi, please." She fixed him with a steely look. Her voice was pleading, her eyes were not. Rei would damn her seven ways to hell if she didn't protect Ando. She had to do it for her as much as for him. "He's not thinking clearly. We need to get him out of this prison. Let's hide him in Elysion."

"He wants to do this, Minako. For his king."

She gave him a look that could curdle milk.

"A king who never gave him the time of day? Oh, please. He wants to do it to punish himself. It's self-inflicted retribution, it's a bottle of whiskey a day revisited, it's misery searching for an end. You can't let him do this."

They stared at each other, Minako with her fists on her hip, Takeshi with his arms crossed. They were less than a foot apart.

Takeshi cleared his throat and took a step back, forcing him to lean against the big shredder. "Even if I wanted to, and I am not saying that I do, when have I ever been able to keep Ando Tanaka from doing something that ran against my wishes?"

"Ando? Never. Jadeite? More than once."

He uncrossed his arms and ran a hand over his face; for just a second, her previous fiancé, the man she'd thought of as the love of her life, so tall, strong, decisive, looked small. "We need to make peace, Minako. And the people are so afraid of all things magic that we need to visually separate Usagi and Mamoru from this mess outside. They need to show their people that they make sure the world is a safe place. And Ando killed so many, don't you deny it." He was almost pleading with her, asking her to understand. Asking her to let him off the hook.

But Minako Aino was having none of it. "He was aiming for Wiseman! Successfully, I might add. And he's sorry, so sorry. It was an accident. Do you want to let him punish himself for that? Really?" She stepped closer again and looked him straight in the eyes. "It's not sacrifice when you don't have a choice."

"What is it then?" he asked quietly, his hands now in his pockets.  
>"Murder," she hissed.<p>

* * *

><p>When Setsuna returned to her apartment in the evening, she found it mostly deserted. The only person sitting in the living room was Minako. No longer dressed in her grey cardigan set, Setsuna noted, and wondered where Minako had gotten the dark red blazer and black mini skirt. There was a pair of heels on the thick carpet; clearly designer, and just as evidently, new. Another pair was on Minako's feet. Apparently, Serenity's head guardian hadn't been able to decide.<p>

"Good evening," Setsuna said politely.

"Evening," Minako replied, barely looking up from a laptop computer.

Setsuna looked around and listened. No sound reached her ears. The apartment was indeed empty. "Where is everyone?"

Minako closed the computer.

"Usagi, Ami, and Haruka have gone to Jikei Hospital. Ami will treat a couple of people, while Usagi cheers them up, and Haruka acts as bodyguard."

"Good idea," Setsuna acknowledged and placed her purse on the floor before sitting down in the armchair. Crossing her legs, she smoothed her skirt. There were plenty of long blonde hairs clinging to the carpet; whether they were Usagi's or Minako's, she couldn't tell.

"And the rest?"

"The shitennou and the King," Minako began slowly, her expression almost as contained as Setsuna's, "are in Elysion."

The senshi of time arched a brow. "Oh? Is Mamoru trying to amplify his healing powers by getting closer to the golden crystal?"

Minako smiled and looked at her new shoes. When she raised her eyes again, there was a glitter of almost feral satisfaction in them. "Good idea, but no. They're trying to find a way to get Ando out of prison."

* * *

><p>Umino had taken them to a tree by a small duck pond. Dangling from one of the larger branches, a swing moved gently in the wind. Umino sat down on the green grass and expectantly looked up at his friends. "What?"<p>

Takeshi blinked. "Please tell me you don't want us to sit down cross-legged and form a circle, Umino."

"This is going to be uncomfortable enough, we don't have to stand around like chess pieces," the youngest shitennou insisted, and shrugging a shoulder at Takeshi in an 'it's not as if it matters' kind of way, Hiromasa followed Umino's examples and stretched out on the grass.

He closed his eyes: he'd taken Jupiter here once, he remembered that. They'd gone and ridden on a unicorn. Most magical night of his life. And then he'd been reborn and became a father. Unicorns couldn't top that, Elysion couldn't top that, magic couldn't top that. But perhaps, magic could bring it back. Over the last two days, he'd kept telling himself that Usagi and Mamoru would find a way to rescue Mako and Aiko from the house. And that they were still alive, all evidence to the contrary be damned.

Mamoru and Takeshi looked at each other, and then Mamoru too sat down. Takeshi shook his head and went to lean against the tree.

"So?" Umino prodded, "what's the plan?"

"What plan?" Hiro asked without opening his eyes.

"The plan to get Ando out," Umino answered. "Because if this is about anything else, I'm leaving. And I am not talking about Elysion, I mean for good."

Mamoru did a double take. "What?"

The slight man with his mop of bronze curls, cross-legged on the dewy Elysionic grass, looked at him as if he'd just asked him to explain why the moon revolved around Earth. "I told you last night. I refuse to let Ando die. If this is what you decide on, I am done with you. All of you."

Takeshi had known this would happen. Zoisite was the strongest of them all. He'd shaken free from Beryl's influence in the last moments of the Silver Millennium, has died protecting Mercury rather than killing him as he was instructed to. And Umino and Ando were even closer than Zoisite and Jadeite had been, and he didn't need Umino to explain the logic underlying his decision. They stuck together, they were brothers, they couldn't let Ando die. If they let Ando die, then they weren't brothers, and he was free to leave.

"What about Ami?" he asked, drawing on his final bargaining chip in a game he didn't even play.

"Ami and I will figure something out. I can be with her without being with you."

"But we are brothers," Mamoru protested, clearly lagging one step behind.

"Yes, we are. Which is why we need to get Ando. But then I do think that this is what Takeshi wanted to talk to us about, isn't it?" Umino looked at his commander, a challenge in his eyes.

Before Takeshi could reply, Hiro interfered, sounding simply tired. "Ando doesn't want saving, Umino."

"Ando thinks he killed Rei."

"In a way, he did," Mamoru supplied, still reeling from Umino's announcement. Would he really leave? Could he?

Umino looked unimpressed. "Ando killed Rei as much as he killed Michiru or Makoto."

Hiro opened his red-rimmed eyes and fastened them on his friend. "My wife isn't dead."

"I hope so too," Umino replied sincerely. Makoto Obuchi was one of the nicest people he knew; he cared for her and her little girl deeply. "But that is not my point. He couldn't have known that she was iin/i the volcano. And what happened to Michiru and Makoto? Wiseman's fault, not Ando's. Or rather, the fault of everyone who brought dark energy to Tokyo, which, by the way, includes everyone here but you Mamoru. So don't blame Ando. I won't let you."

A small bird landed on the swing and observed itself in the mirror of the water. Suddenly, it trilled and started back into the sky. Takeshi watched it fly away. He sighed.

"I propose we tell the general public that we have a magical high-security prison available and take Ando there. Tell them that lifelong isolation is a harder punishment than losing your life. And perhaps have Usagi say something to the effect that we want to be better than murderers."

Mamoru frowned. "They won't buy it."

"Usagi can make them buy it," Umino insisted. "Good plan."

"And then Ando goes where?" Hiro asked.

"Here," Takeshi said simply.

The men fell silent.

"Have you spoken to Helios?" Mamoru finally said, turning to Takeshi.

"Can't find him," the former architect replied.

"That's odd," Mamoru murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

"No, it isn't," Umino said. "Take a look around."

Mamoru did. Tree. Pond. Grass. Sunshine.

"What am I supposed to see?"

Umino waited. Hiro slowly got up and began to walk around. After having taking a turn around the pond, the large man looked up at the green and golden canopy of the tree. Golden.

"Autumn is coming to Elysion," he said, wonder in his voice.

"Elysion doesn't have seasons," Mamoru corrected him, but he too got up and moved to stand beside his friend, staring up. There were indeed some golden leaves. Had there even been golden leaves in Elysion? Had there been rain, snow? He came up with nothing.

"Elysion has fairies, unicorns, dwarves, and a priest. See anyone?" Umino replied, still sitting, playing with a blade of grass.

Takeshi looked around, but didn't move. "Do you know what this means?" he asked Umino.

"Yes."

"And?"

"Elysion is the core of this planet. And it's using its magical properties up."

"Come again?" Mamoru asked.

"Usagi's crystal isn't the only thing trying to fight the remnants of dark energy. Elysion is too. But even Elysion's powers are finite." He shrugged. "We can hide Ando here, but we can't hide him here forever."

Hiro blinked, and shook his head, and blinked again. "Can you explain to me why the fuck you're so… tranquil?"

"Because this isn't how it ends."

"And how does it end?"

"Ask Setsuna," Umino replied simply. "But then again, I don't think she's figured it out yet." He looked at Takeshi. "Tell your girlfriend she's looking at the wrong version of the future."

"I'm sorry," Mamoru said, confusion written all over his face, "but can you please explain yourself?"

"No," Umino said, and there was steel in his eyes. "What I can do and will do is insist that we stand together. We don't sacrifice our friends, families, hopes, ideals. We try to be the best people we can be, for as long as we can be. And if that's how it ends, then everything will be okay. I know that for sure."

"You're not making any sense, Umino," Mamoru replied. He knelt down to face his friend and reached over to cover one of Umino's thin hands with his own. Perhaps he'd been more grievously injured than Mamoru thought. Protecting the palace for as long as he could… it might have done something to him.

"What do you propose we do about Ando?" Umino insisted, his hair ruffled by the wind. He looked utterly normal, utterly undamaged.

Mamoru looked to Hiro and Takeshi. "I- it's not as if I want him dead," he finally exclaimed and Umino broke into a smile. "Good, that settles it then." He got up and brushed some grass off his pants. "Good meeting, Takeshi, thanks." And, patting Mamoru's shoulder once, he wandered off, leaving three befuddled men behind.

* * *

><p>That evening, observed by everyone with a functioning television or internet access, the King and Queen moved back into their ruined palace.<p>

Unseen, Hiromasa, Haruka, Minako, and Umino did too.

* * *

><p>In the flat that now felt almost deserted in its quietness, a storm was raging.<p>

"It's his destiny, Takeshi," Setsuna exclaimed, her infallible patience almost at an end.

Takeshi got up, restlessly moving through his living room, sidestepping a pair of heels one of their guests must have forgotten. "I find that the idea of being shot in front of a scared crowd has little to do with destiny, Setsuna. It's murder."

Setsuna threw her hands up in protest. "The future has revealed itself to me, and this is Ando Tanaka's calling. He was always destined to die for his king."

Takeshi turned to her, his voice cold. "He is one of my men, Setsuna. I will not let someone shoot him in the back of his head to protect a future that would make Mamoru unhappy anyway."

"Then shoot him yourself. He has to die. There will be no peace without a sacrifice. It's the price of the happy ending that Usagi and Mamoru so deserve!"

"I dare say we have sacrificed enough," Takeshi finally roared.

Setsuna blinked. She'd never witnessed him raising his voice, not to her, not to anyone. Makoto had once told her that the night Takeshi left Minako, he'd been in a shouting match with Ando. Because of Minako. That was the only time she'd ever heard of him losing control like that. It set her teeth on edge.

Hiding her rage, she sat down again. She took a moment to arrange her clothes before speaking again, sounding ever so nonchalant. "Why do I have the feeling that you are talking about your former relationship rather than Makoto, Aiko, Rei, and Michiru?"

Taking a sip of Merlot, she put put her glass down on the polished table that had never not been protected with a coaster.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes.

"I will not lay a hand on Ando. And neither will you. We will find another way to solve this. We have changed the future once, we can do so again. After all, I have not entered into an alliance with Wiseman, our group is not divided, and-"

Setsuna shot up. "That was a vision, Takeshi. The Deep Aqua Mirror shows you what can be, not what has to be. What I saw was destiny unfolded, time and time again. Don't be a fool."

"I haven't been one in many hundred years," he insisted, "I have once chosen to sacrifice an innocent life for the greater good, and look where it led us. It was the downfall of a civilization. I will not make this mistake again."

"It's his destiny, Takeshi! It will come to be, whether you want to or not, whether you pull the trigger or not, whether you throw yourself in front of him as someone else fires the shot or not. He will die. He was born for it."

Takeshi stroked his tie. Looking at Setsuna now made him think of the ocean right before the storm. You could feel the wave that was about to hit before it rose, feel its pull before it drew you under. His ship was caught with nowhere to go but down down down. He cleared his throat and looked into those exceptional purple eyes. "If you put so much stock in destiny," he paused, visibly having to collect himself. "If you put so much stock in destiny, then how come I am sitting here with you instead of her?"

"Not the same thing," Setsuna insisted, her eyes wide. It was hard to surprise her, but the conversation had suddenly taken a turn she hadn't expected.

"How so?" he asked calmly.  
>She opened her mouth.<p>

"How so, Setsuna? If our choices matter so little?" There was a world of grief in his eyes.

She closed her mouth, suddenly finding that there was very little left to be said. He was right. She believed in destiny. It was who she was. And destiny did not allow for her to have a companion. He wasn't hers to keep.

"I need you to support me in this, Setsuna. We can't let Ando die."

Knowing what the next words would cost her, she shook her head. "He has to."

Takeshi got up and made for the door. Not turning around, he paused for a moment. "We could have had a good life. A good, honest, purposeful life together."

And then he left, softly closing the door behind him.

***** End of Chapter 16 *****


	18. Interlude II

**On Razor's Edge - Interlude II**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.  
><em>

center~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad/center

* * *

><p>Mars, one of the most renowned beauties of the universe, was now a mere shadow of herself. Jupiter sighed, and resumed braiding her friend's hair. She'd just wished she could have convinced Mars to wash it first. But it had been difficult enough to get her out of her rooms and into the gardens. Now that they were sitting underneath one of the silver trees, its roots and branches curled like intricate leafless artwork, and Jupiter looked for an opening.<p>

"My friend, I hate you to see you so unhappy," she said as she twisted and folded the long black strands. In an intricately braided pattern, her hair might look better and people wouldn't start asking questions. They knew about her and Nephrite, but the twin stories of Serenity and Endymion as well as that of Mars and Jadeite had to remain a secret. On the moon, though, secrets were hard to keep and if one strand of this thread was unravelled, then so would the entire tapestry. While it was Mercury who was rightfully praised for her insight and intelligence, Jupiter wasn't a fool either. Nobody needed to tell her that the secret affairs of the princess and her guardians could bring this kingdom to ruins. Serenity was the virgin daughter of a virgin queen, born out of goodness and destined to continue her line the same way. A solitary ruler who would, much like her mother, guide her people to honourable behaviour and good deeds. Sleeping with the prince from the barbarian planet they orbited was not something people would accept, and for that same purpose Mars too needed to remain a picture of innocence and beauty. Whispers needed to die before they were even born.

"I will be fine," the daughter of fire whispered, probably having read Jupiter's mind. It was always so difficult to tell with her.

"Pass me one of those red ribbons over there," Jupiter thus commanded brusquely and Mars complied. "That's less than half of your hair taken care off. I swear, you have more than even Serenity, hers is just longer." Talking to Mars was a bit like trying to pet one of those unicorns Nephrite had shown her. So beautiful, so easily broken. It was a small miracle that she'd allowed Jupiter to come so close; since Venus had told her about Jadeite's alliance with Beryl, Mars had kept to herself and even shied away from Serenity. So Jupiter kept on braiding, brushing, and twisting; hoping that the small kindness would make the day easier for her friend. Perhaps Mars would even join them for the customary breakfast with Serenity tomorrow. She'd get up early and make her the lily cakes she loved so much.

"Does Venus know?" Mars asked after a while, and the deft movement of Jupiter's fingers stopped alongside her heartbeat.

"Does Venus know what?" she asked, her voice even. Mars wouldn't ask that, and she wouldn't have to answer. And then everything would be fi-

"About the child."

Jupiter's hands dropped to her lap, and the twisted braids began to unravel as soon as they were no longer kept in place by skillful fingers. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mars looked up at the sky and closed her eyes.

"It's one after the other, you know. I've seen it in the flames."

"One after… I don't understand."

"One heart broken after the other. Me first, then you, then Venus, and finally, even kind Mercury. But fear not, Jupiter," Mars said and got up, robes dirty and hair tangled, "I'm sure it's better this way."

* * *

><p>Venus returned from Earth the day after and, dust-covered and dirty, went directly to the Queen. As was their monarch's wont, she was in the prayer room.<p>

"My Queen," Venus said, and dropped to her knees. Her feet were bloody, she was thirsty, and there was a small knife wound on her upper arm. What made it hurt even more was that it had been inflicted on her by one of her own; a nameless Venusian soldier she had loaned to Earth's armies as part of their early alliance agreement. He'd paid for it dearly enough though. For a moment she'd thought about sending his head to Kunzite, with a note attached to it, i this is your work as much as mine/i, but she didn't have the heart to do the body further harm. Instead, she'd burned it according to the rites of her people, hoping the nameless man would rise to do better in another life.

"Rise."

Luna, in cat form, was sitting on a smaller pillar, while Artemis sat at its base. Both Mauans had their eyes on the returned guardian, who now followed her Queen's orders and rose to her feet. It was clear that the movement was painful, and Artemis nodded at a servant. The silent command was understood, and Venus knew she would find a healer waiting in her chambers later. Artemis was a good counsel, and a better friend.

"What is Earth like?" the Queen asked, sounding merely curious. As always, Serenity the elder was a picture of cool beauty, and as always, she was removed from the barbarian realities of lower planets. "Can it really be a danger to us, far away and small as it is?"

Venus looked straight at the Queen, whose silver hair and white dress shone in the light their moon emanated from its core. She needed the Queen to act, to do something, to save them all. Or at least to lock her daughter away until Endymion had aged, withered, and died because if the young princess knew of the dangers her lover was in, nothing would keep her on the moon.

"Yes."

"Explain," the Queen instructed.

"They've taken advantage of the alliance."

Serenity frowned. "You speak of the military alliance? Between Earth and Venus?"

"Yes, my Queen. Venusian soldiers have defected from our ranks. They have apparently been promised riches, titles, and things beyond their understanding."

"Promised by whom?" Luna interjected, her feline eyes glowing green.

Luna had a way of always asking the important questions. It almost didn't matter who turned against them; the only thing that mattered was who _made _them turn. "The enchantress who has been associating herself with the young Prince Endymion's generals. She says that Earth should have a place in the alliance and that if you, my Queen, are not willing to give it to them, it's theirs for the taking."

"And what of the prince?" Venus felt herself step on thinner ice. Talking about the prince was a danger; she was certain the queen had no idea of her daughter's affair, and Venus very much wanted to keep it that way. The Queen was kind and a good ruler, but a ruler she was. There was no telling what she would do to put an end to the affair if she ever learned of it. Venus chose her words carefully.

"He is trying to calm both his generals and the crowds, but I fear he will not be successful for very long."

The Queen nodded. "Kill the enchantress then."

"Yes, my Queen."

"You mustn't be seen, Venus. We need to keep up appearances. The Alliance is not a violent institution and we cannot have that changed."

"Of course, my Queen," Venus replied, thinking quickly. "Can I confer with Mercury? The enchantress is well protected and I might need assistance in getting close enough."

"You may."

* * *

><p>The Princess was full of laughter, and the jokes she was making were getting more rascally by the minute. Blushing a deep crimson, Mercury nevertheless couldn't do anything but smile.<p>

Their world was a good place when its princess was in good spirits.

* * *

><p>Venus found Mars in the garden. The elaborate hairstyle let her know that she had spent part of the evening with Jupiter. Faithful, sweet, idiotic Jupiter, who had still been sneaking down to see Nephrite. As if Venus didn't know. Shaking the thought away as she moved closer to the psychic, she tried to shield herself from the misery her friend emanated. This was first and foremost a meeting among sisters-in-arms. Emphasis on arms. While she hadn't asked the Queen if she could tell Mars, Mars would find out sooner or later anyway. And since it was Jadeite who had gone travelling with Beryl, Venus wagered the senshi of fire wouldn't mind the enchantress' early end.<p>

"I come bearing bad news," she announced, and Mars shrugged. Her friend was growing out of her grief, Venus noted, but whether she was healing was a different matter. There was something dead about her, something cold. As if loving and losing Jadeite had robbed her of the flame that kept her alive, that made her who she was. This new creature, poised but imperfect under the tree, was a stranger to her.

"Earth is doomed?" Mars asked, clearly already knowing the answer. "A war is coming?" She barely batted a lash and Venus marvelled at the trace of irony in her voice that hadn't been there before. Damaged Mars was, but functional. Dull, yet sharp. As always, the daughter of fire was a walking contradiction, as difficult to grasp as she was beautiful to look at.

"Yes. All visits must be terminated. For good. There is evil spreading down there, and Serenity is in danger. Keep an eye on her at all times, and lock her up if necessary. The Queen mustn't find out, Mars."

"_All_ visits?" Mars asked, ignoring the instruction, and Venus fought the urge to fidget. She hadn't told anyone about her own dalliance with Kunzite. Jadeite knew, but he was the only one. Up here on the moon, her secret was safe.

"Yes, all. Yours, Jupiter's, and most importantly, Serenity's."

"Jupiter is with child," Mars said, her violet eyes dull.

"She is what?" Venus asked, sure she must have misheard.

Mars shrugged. "Do with this what you will. I'll speak to Serenity, tell her to stay here." She got up, not bothering to shake the leaves off her gown. "I'll tell her all about my broken heart; maybe it will keep her by my side." Venus could only stare as Mars continued. "She has always been a kind soul, after all," Mars mused, her voice a shrug, "I'm sure she will wish to comfort me."

The senshi of fire left, moving through the garden like a ghost until she disappeared into the palace.

* * *

><p>Venus hurried through the palace. This was a catastrophe. She could keep the princess' affair from the Queen, she could make sure Mars remained in line despite her grief, but she could hardly have Jupiter strongarm Serenity into staying on the Moon while the senshi was cradling a half-Terran child. Damn Nephrite to the seven heels of Uranus and beyond. Between Mars' curious mixture of cunning and numbness and Jupiter's excruciating stupidity, Venus felt her world crumbling.<p>

A handmaiden and two soldiers were chatting outside Jupiter's rooms, and Venus slowed her steps. It wouldn't do to raise suspicions. People looked at her, observed her behaviour, waited for her to slip, to make a mistake. She would never give them the pleasure.

"Gentlemen," she said, putting in a swing in her step that would make them overlook her dirty garb. "Please see to the Lady Luna; she has matters of business to discuss with you." The men blinked, nodded, and disappeared. Venus then turned to the handmaiden. "Be so kind, my girl, and tell my staff to prepare a bath for me. As you can see, I am filthy", and 'wounded', she added in her head, "and I wish to feel like myself again." Not that that was on the cards anytime soon; the healer would have to wait.

Courtesing, the girl accepted the task and hurried off. Venus turned to Jupiter's door and knocked. It was pulled open by Mercury, who looked like a winter morning down on that blasted planet. Red cheeks like the fires they lit to cover the horrid cold, skin as white as snow, and eyes as blue as their lakes just before they froze.

"Mercury, I need to speak with Jupiter alone. Go keep Serenity or Mars company. And meet me in my chambers before breakfast tomorrow, we have things to discuss." Not sparing her friend and fellow guardian another glance, Venus strode into Jupiter's chambers, leaving it to Mercury to close the door.

"Venus, you're back!" Jupiter exclaimed. She was bent over a loom, working on a colourful blanket. Scanning her body, Venus tilted her head. Oh, there would be hell to pay for this, she'd make sure of it.  
>"Is that a baby blanket you're working on?" she asked, each word laced with cold rage. Silence settled over the room.<p>

Blanching, Jupiter lowered the shuttle. "Mars shouldn't have told you, I-"

"Not a word," Venus hissed and stepped closer. "Had I the time, and weren't danger almost on our doorstep, Jupiter, I would have you sent back to your family and hired someone from Uranus instead, and you know full well what I think of those barbarians. Alas, circumstances prevent me from doing so, so listen to me, and listen well."

Tears began to pool in Jupiter's eyes.

"You will not see him again, unless it's on a battlefield right here on the moon. If he doesn't yet know, you will not tell him. No communication, none at all. No more trips with or for Serenity. You keep this a secret, or you don't keep it at all. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Venus, how can I keep this a secret? People will _see_."

"Creative costuming. Some trick of Mercury's. I don't care. Figure it out. If you want to keep the child, fine. But you'll have to set it up outside the palace. Servants can take care of it, you can visit. Again, I do not care. If we get through this unharmed, if the danger passes, you'll be free to make a choice between staying here and serving Serenity, or going elsewhere and being a mother. Until then, I expect you to do as I say."

Jupiter looked down at the blanket. "I love him, Venus."

Steeling herself, Venus stared down at her friend. She knew all about love, its pleasures and its pain. It was her sacred duty to aid lovers, but it was one that was incompatible with taking care of Serenity. She'd made her choice long ago, and while she wished Jupiter could be happy, it simply wasn't to be. "He is rebelling against that prince Serenity is oh so in love with. Secret meetings with the Lady Beryl, Jupiter," Venus whispered, mindful that even here, the walls sometimes had ears.

Tears began to spill down Jupiter's face. "Now you are just being cruel."

"Serenity is what matters. You don't matter, that child of yours doesn't matter, and Nephrite certainly doesn't matter. So tell me, and tell now, Jupiter: when the dark days come, will you still stand by Serenity's side?"

Jupiter got up, easily towering over Venus. "Of course I will."

"Then you might better get rid of it," Venus replied, and with one last barb-laced look, left.

* * *

><p>Magic never goes into one direction only. Mercury of course was very well aware of it, but Venus wasn't. She had never bothered herself with the complicated protection charms Mercury told her about and was instead happy to have the youngest senshi simply put them into place instead.<p>

So it came that in the earliest hours of the morning, just when the sun was rising on earth, the moon, while ambling towards a new day, was still in the dark and the head of Serenity's guard in bed, unsuspecting, and more tired than she'd ever been.

Even so, her sleep was difficult to come by. She'd been too hard to Jupiter, not appreciative enough of Mercury, hadn't paid Serenity enough attention, and still had no idea how to help Mars find a new place in the world. Personally, she didn't think that the loss of a lover and one's virginity was the end of the world, but Mars was different. She was more honourable; better than her in almost every way. Gentle, too.

Sighing, Venus turned in bed.

"You're restless," a familiar voice said, and Venus jumped, immediately reaching for the dagger she kept by her bedside.

Kunzite stepped into her line of vision. He wasn't wearing his uniform, but a dark hooded cloak. His green eyes flashed silver for a second.

"I've come to deliver a warning."

"How did you get in here?" Kunzite smiled at her question. Given the nature of their last meeting, this unsettled her more than anything. They hadn't parted as friends, let alone lovers. A smile wasn't what she had expected from him. "Kunzite, how did you get in here?" she repeated, dagger in hand.

"Your transportation magic left traces I could follow," he replied as if swatting away a fly. It didn't matter how he got here, it wasn't something he found even remotely interesting. For someone who had just a few months ago learned how to access the untapped source of magic in his soul, this was telling. Beryl was teaching them well. She couldn't give them powers they didn't have before, but she could teach them how to make use of them. Goosebumps rose on Venus' skin. If she also taught that prince of theirs, then Queen Serenity might eventually face an opponent she couldn't easily do away with.

"What warning?" she asked.

"Jadeite is no longer your ally, Venus," Kunzite said, stepping closer to her bed.

He was never an ally, Venus thought, he was a friend. Kunzite reached out and covered her hand still clutching the dagger with his own. "He is in Beryl's grasp, fully. The same applies for Nephrite, and soon for me too."

Venus frowned and resisted the urge to draw her hand back. She'd only slice the linens. "Are you speaking of defection or of a curse?"

Kunzite's face was impassive. "We are not your men, Venus. We cannot defect from your ranks. The politics of Earth are changing, and some of us are more convinced than others, but Beryl makes good points. They are too bloody for my taste, but good nevertheless."

And there it was, the warning. Between the lines, but in the words. They would kill Serenity on sight. And probably Mars and Jupiter too. A price for their new world order.

"What of your prince?" Venus asked.

"My king," Kunzite corrected. "He too will see reason."

Venus looked at the man she had loved, she had lain with, she had trusted despite herself. This was his final gesture of grace; a warning to keep her both safe and separate.

"We will no longer let Serenity come to Earth," she finally conceded, and wondered whether it would be enough to keep her safe. "Can your pri- king come to the Moon the same way you did?"

"He can, but he won't."

Venus thought of Beryl, of the growing sunspots all across the southern fields of Earth, of the dragons she had seen circling the western plains, of friends and lovers lost in such a short span of time. "There is darkness growing on your planet," she eventually said, hoping to impart a warning of her own.

Kunzite shook his head and smiled at her, letting go of her hand. "It's not darkness, Venus." He retreated back into the shadows, his cloak merging with the darkness of the night until she could only see his eyes. This time, she was sure. They had changed colour. They were silver.

"It's power."

***** End of Interlude II *****


	19. Chapter 17

**Warnings:** Character Death.  
><strong>AN:** A portion of this chapter was inspired by Charlaine Harris' Living Dead in Dallas. Alas, no vampires in this one, folks.

* * *

><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard. <em>

~ verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>The day had started with a bang. Early in the morning, followed by reporters, Minister Takeshi Nakamura had officially taken residence in the Crystal Palace. In front of the gates, he had made a brief statement, framed by a cloud of hurried assistant, secretaries, and movers carrying non-descript black boxes.<p>

"Over the past weeks, our country and our capital have been divided by fear. I believe that the time has come for the government to officially take residence in this palace. This is a part of our society, of our culture, and of our future and I refuse to let terrorists take this away from us. Therefore, starting today, I am relocating my offices and my private residence to the Crystal Palace and encourage my fellow ministers to do the same. This is the time to stand united. Thank you."

Making sure to nod at the cameras, he made his excuse and vanished inside the palace.

* * *

><p>Umino was still walking around from room to room, muttering enchantments, checking wards, and calling Usagi and the girls to stabilise and re-grow crystals where the attacks had damaged them. He'd been at this since his return from Elysion, but didn't particularly miss sleep or food. He had a task to complete and it would pass the time until Mamoru had decided how to proceed with regards to Ando.<p>

"Umino, take a break", a surprising voice instructed him. Umino turned to the door and broke out into a smile. This was a good sign.  
>"Takeshi!" Sailor Moon happily exclaimed and immediately transformed back into Usagi. Haruka, Ami, and Minako followed suit and the stately senshi were replaced by a crowd of pretty, but tired women. "What are you doing here?"<br>"Moving in. Haruka, Umino, where can I best take residence? I need office space for me and my assistant, a couple of secretaries, and in a little while, hopefully a few other ministers and their staff. And I will be needing private rooms, too."  
>"An apartment?" Usagi asked, almost jumping up and down with excitement and relief. These were good news in these dark times. "Mamo will be so glad!"<br>"Yes," Takeshi replied and found himself smiling. Usagi just had that effect on people, even when the rest of the world was falling apart. How he could have not seen this in the Silver Millennium was completely beyond him now. This woman and his prince were the only chance they had.

"You and Setsuna are moving in here?" Haruka prodded, bringing his musings to a sudden end. Haruka looked-, well, she looked just like any person who had just lost the love of their life but refused to back down did. Takeshi had no doubt that what was keeping the guardian of Uranus alive and functioning at this point was a spitting rage channelled into the desire to keep Usagi safe and thus honour Michiru's sacrifice. Haruka consulted a blueprint of the palace that they had placed on the floor. There was a wild crisscross of pink, yellow, and green markered lines on there. He was mildly wondering what each colour stood for. "I'd suggest the south tower for the officials and the west tower for private residence," Haruka finally offered. "The east tower still needs fixing. Umino?" The east tower was all yellow, while the south was green, so at least this little riddle was solved.  
>"Would have been my suggestion, too. Do you need help moving in? Hiro is somewhere around here, too..."<p>

"No, thank you," Takeshi politely declined. "My assistant ordered some furniture for me and is just waiting for information with regards to the location of the rooms. We need to get computers, work stations and meeting rooms set up. We are also considering moving the CTCT here."  
>Usagi smiled. "So you are keeping your apartment and setting up secondary residence here. That's clever. Thanks, Takeshi, I'm sure this'll help. When will Setsuna get here?"<br>Takeshi paused for just a second, a second that felt like an eternity to Minako who knew what was coming before the others did. It was in his eyes. It was always in his eyes, and the way they refused to meet hers.  
>"Actually, it's just me."<br>"But-" Usagi tried to say, just as Haruka exploded. "NOW IS NOT TO THE TIME FOR FUCKING BREAK-UPS!" Ami winced and cast a sideways look at her husband, who looked mildly confused, but not overly concerned.

Minako knelt down and reached for the pink marker, drawing a careful line on the portion of the map that detailed their current location. If she had to focus just a little more to make it perfectly straight, she was sure nobody would notice right now.  
>To her surprise, Takeshi's reply to Haruka's outburst wasn't as icy as she'd expected. "My personal life is none of your business, Haruka. I'll let this one slide because these are difficult times for all of us, but I politely ask you to contain yourself in the future." A couple of years ago, this moment would have ended in an exploding ceiling light. They had come a long way.<p>

Haruka whirled around and Minako suddenly found herself in the centre of her fellow senshi's ire. "Do you have anything to do with this?"  
>Not bothering to dignify Haruka's angry question with an answer, Minako got up, handed the pink marker to Ami, and directly turned to Takeshi. She was fairly certain that she didn't have anything to do with it, at least not actively, but this was a thought she would engage in once the big issue was taken care of: returning her best friend to safety. She was still in crisis mode, and only once that was over would she allow herself to mourn her fallen friends, and only then would even consider indulging thoughts as trivial as what led to the breakdown of Takeshi's and Setsuna's relationship. She had to take life one step at a time. "Any news on Ando?"<p>

"No, I am going to speak to Mamoru today. The committees are still debating the legislation that would legally allow the government to exercise capital punishment for malignant magical interference, and as long as that isn't taken care of, Ando remains untouchable."  
>"So that's what they call it now," Minako said with a bitter little chuckle. "Fair enough. I assume you have someone on these committees stalling the process."<br>"Correct."  
>"I'm sorry, are you seriously talking business now?" Haruka once more interspersed, her voice laced with disdain. "What about Setsuna? Are we all supposed to pretend that this okay? And the CTCT moving in here? Two ex-girlfriends in one palace while we all try to keep our true nature hidden from prying eyes? How the fuck is that supposed to work, eh?"<br>Minako gave Haruka a look so blistering that it would have made Rei proud. "We are not talking business, we are talking the survival of one of our own. If that is not to your liking, I suggest that you leave this room before I make you." Minako paused and allowed her words to sink in. To her right, Ami shuffled uncomfortably. "Any further thoughts, Haruka?" Minako looked at her fellow senshi until Haruka angrily broke the gaze and stared down. "No? Didn't think so." Minako reached in her pockets and pulled out her phone. "I'll liase a story with Amnesty International, make sure that this death penalty debate becomes a thing."

Usagi blinked. "I-..."  
>"Yes?" Minako asked, already halfway out of the door. She'd have to meet the people setting up shop here, vouch them, profile them, welcome them. She wouldn't repeat the mistake she'd made with Ace. Once they were vetted, she'd arrange for them to meet Usagi, then later on, when the Queen had already charmed them, Mamoru. And she'd have to spin a nice story for a smaller newspaper, something that would mention Ando's dual citizenship and his connection to New York. Make him an American in the eyes of one paper, and thanks to the blogosphere, the whole execution thing suddenly becomes an international cause for concern. She hadn't been able to save Rei, Makoto, Aiko, or Michiru, but she would be damned to see Ando killed on her own front lawn. And if Takeshi's presence here was any indicator, neither was he. "Any questions, Usa?"<p>

Usagi looked from Takeshi to Minako to Haruka, and finally to Ami, who in an uncharacteristically clueless gesture, shrugged her shoulders. Umino was already back at work, running his hands over the crystalline walls. Unbeknownst to the others, he was smiling.

"We should get back to this," he said without turning to the others. "If we have half the ministry moving in, we need to get this place presentable before they arrive or my cover as the harmless secretary is blown. And Ami's, too."  
>"Good point," Takeshi said. "I'll leave you to it."<br>Minako held the door open for him. "Do you need me for this?" she asked Ami.  
>The doctor shook her head. "It doesn't have to be all of us for small repairs."<br>"It's never all of us anyway," Haruka muttered angrily, her eyes still on the floor, "not any more."

Swallowing hard, Minako ignored the way her heart clenched. Not now.  
>"Good then," she therefore said and stepped through the open door.<p>

* * *

><p>Minako was typing an email on her phone, not looking up as she made her way to the south tower. Takeshi was walking beside her, matching her brisk pace and occasionally, when Minako threatened to careen into a corner, instinctively reached out and steered her away from the obstacles. After a while, and more than a few close run-ins, Minako stopped typing and looked at the man walking next to her. He wondered if he had looked this normal after their own relationship had ended. Clean shaven, no shadows under his eyes, no lint on the suit, no crease in his tie. It was almost uncanny, how normal he looked. But then Ando had once joked that Takeshi was always perfectly appropriately dressed for any surprise funeral, so perhaps it just made sense now when they had counted four dead, but not a single one to bury. She owed her sisters so much. And more than anything, she owed it to Rei to both keep Usagi safe and to help Ando. She couldn't do either if the focus shifted on their personal lives rather than the enormous tasks they had to undertake.<p>

"If you keep touching my lower back while we walk through this building, not only will Haruka throw a fit, but we'll have everyone, including your staff, gossiping," she said, but couldn't make it sound as stern as she wanted to.  
>He drew his hand back. "I'd just rather you didn't run face first into the next pillar, Minako."<br>"I didn't say I mind, nor did I say I care." She stopped and turned to face him. "These rumours won't work to Usagi's and Mamoru's advantage. People need to see your presence here as being on your own accord, not caused by previous romantic entanglements."  
>He looked at her, paused a beat, and chuckled. "Of course."<br>Minako blinked. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I was being funny."  
>"It's just that we had this conversation before," he said after a little consideration. "A lifetime ago. Only that at that time, there was actually something to gossip about. And if we'd just been honest then, we might not even find ourselves in this situation today. Choices, Minako. Not destiny."<br>She shook her head, disgruntled and amused at the same time. "Now really isn't the time for this. Save the big philosophical discussion for Umino, I'm sure he'd be keen to engage."  
>He inclined his head, thinking about it. "Maybe."<br>"Will Setsuna still serve as the acting head of the CTCT?"  
>"Of course she will. Everything else would be highly risky for Usagi and Mamoru."<br>"Is she moving in here too?"  
>"Not that I know."<p>

There were many more questions Minako wanted to ask, but instead of indulging, she picked the one that was most pertinent for Usagi.  
>"Has she reached Hotaru? We need her here."<br>"She has, although I am not privy to the content of their conversation."  
>"Umino said it was important to get her here."<br>Takeshi frowned. It wasn't like Umino to interfere in anyone's personal life, and so far, he had been quite content to leave Hotaru be. Setsuna's surrogate daughter had been in Sydney long before the return of the shitennou and had only visited a few times since. He'd met her once, when he was already - when he had been - dating Setsuna, and his impression of the young woman was a good one. In many ways, Hotaru reminded him of Rei: poised, sensitive, struggling with who fate required her to be. There could be only one reason for Umino to want her here, and that must have to do with Ando. Takeshi was puzzled.  
>"Do you think Hotaru could be helpful in getting Ando out of prison?" he asked Minako while running through the few facts he had about Hotaru's magical abilities.<br>Minako frowned, her eyes already glued back to her phone. She was typing so quickly that Takeshi could just about make out the words New York and dual citizenship before Minako pressed enter and the line vanished from view.  
>"What? Hotaru? No, not really. Now, I'll need a list of all the employees you plan on letting in here, and if you've already vetted them, I need whatever you found or didn't find and will go over it again. So will Haruka. We're not taking any risks."<br>Not able to resist even though he knew it was petty, Takeshi said evenly. "So will you doublecheck that they don't show up the list of protesters you refused to let me have a look at?"  
>Minako blanched. Another item on the long list of things that would forever stand between them. He'd been suspicious of Ace and his protesters, she'd felt superior, and as a consequence, their world had exploded, killing her sisters and little Aiko. Answering cost her dearly, but she did so anyway. "Yes."<br>"Good," he replied simply and straightened his tie. It had taken her years to learn that this was a movement he carried out when he needed a second to think. Years. "Anything else you need?"

They'd come to a standstill.  
>"There is," she said, eventually. "I need you to get me into Ando's cell, unseen. Soon."<p>

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to his wife and most of his shitennou, Mamoru Chiba was currently not safely ensconced in the palace. Instead, he was standing in front of Hiromasa's house, trying to keep his friend from making a huge and potentially fatal mistake.<p>

"I still don't think you should do this. It's not wise."  
>"I have to," Hiro tersely replied, eying the house that kept his wife trapped underneath crystal and electricity.<br>"What if the electric current is too strong? What if it kills you on the spot, Hiromasa. Think of your son." They had been over this time and time again, but Hiromasa refused to see reason. He had to try to free her, he said. Had to try to reach her. Had to know whether his wife and daughter were still alive. He wasn't Haruka; he couldn't just give up. When he had insisted that his life was nothing without Makoto and Aiko, Mamoru had found himself out of arguments. Deep down, he knew he would do the same. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Usagi, and they had the history of several lifetimes to prove it.

"I can't just leave her there, Mamoru", Hiro had exclaimed, anguish written all over his broad features, and so Mamoru had teleported them to what had once been the happiest home he'd known. Hiro and Makoto had lived the life he'd wished for himself more than once. Peaceful, merry. Real jobs, real days, a real chance.

Now all of that was gone and his friend was a mere shadow of himself. He hadn't shaved or showered since the attack, and it had taken Ami an hour to convince him to change out of his bloodied and stained clothes and into something of Takeshi's. It was so odd to see Hiro in the grey hooded sweater Takeshi wore when he went running when the furniture designer normally lived in his lumberjack shirts. This man was almost a stranger to him, and he had no idea how to help him. While Haruka was holding it together, even though Mamoru couldn't fathom how, Hiromasa was fully consumed with fear. Fear that the feeling of his heart threatening to burst in his chest was actually grief, and that this house of his was not a trap, but a grave.

Hiro walked towards the house and stretched out a hand. "If this is Makoto's protection, then it won't hurt me. Then we can just get her and Aiko out of there."  
>"Let's at least ask Takeshi and Umino to help us. Takeshi too commands electricity, Hiro," Mamoru tried to bargain.<br>Hiro shook his head. "He was here with me already. Didn't work. And if Umino could have helped, he would have already."  
>As he got closer, the electric currents multiplied and it was as if a million little bolts of lightning struck the house at the same time. Thunder began to roll and out of a sudden, dark, heavy clouds crept across the formerly blue sky.<br>"Take this as a sign, Hiro!" Mamoru shouted over the noise of the rising wind and pulled his friend back. For a moment, it seemed as if Hiro was about to argue, but then lightning struck a tree on the front lawn, a mere few feet away from the man just as the rain began to pour.

"Tell me this isn't her," Hiro muttered, awe in his voice, and turned to Mamoru with a frantic hope in his eyes. It was raining so hard that Mamoru's jacket was already soaked. He was only too mindful that right behind Hiro, the currents still crackled.  
>"Tell me this isn't my wife giving me a sign!" Hiro bellowed, hair plastered to his face, beard dripping with rain.<br>"If it is, then listen to her!" Mamoru pleaded intently and stepped closer to his friend, reaching for his shoulder. "Let's get back to the palace," he shouted over the sound of the storm, "let's talk to Ami and Umino. We'll figure this out. We did so once already, in the future. We freed Serenity from her sleep under the crystal, but it took us time, Hiro. Come on. Let's go."

Hiro's inner struggle played all over his face. He looked feverish, tired, hopeful, defeated. It was enough to break Mamoru's heart.  
>"But this doesn't mean we give up," he finally said, pleading with his friend not to defy him.<br>"It doesn't," Mamoru confirmed, "I promise!" and gripped Hiro's hand to teleport them home.

* * *

><p>Ando sat in his cell, counting the minutes. Takeshi had said that people were pushing to have him executed within a week. Two days down, five more to go. He wasn't even sure anymore whether he wanted to make the most of the time left to him or whether he wanted to end this as quickly as possible.<p>

All he knew was that Rei was dead because of him.

Nobody had come in to repair the security camera that had oh so accidentally broken during Takeshi's visit. Nobody was behind the tinted windows, looking in. Even if not a single person in the government could work up the nerve to have him executed, if nobody ever came down here again to bring him food or water because he was the scariest thing they'd ever seen, then he estimated he could make his exit in roughly five days. But it would be painful, and cruel, and not the death he had wished for himself. Dehydration was a nasty way to go, but then so must be being burned to death by your soulmate. Rei hadn't had any say in her final moments, so he shouldn't have either.

Just then Ando picked a thought out of thin air. Not a thought, more a feeling. Anger and worry and steely resolve.

He smiled as the door opened for the first time since Takeshi had left. "Hello sweetheart. Come to say goodbye?"  
>Minako stepped inside and gently closed the door behind her. He could tell that she was taking in the situation, the smell, the filth. It hadn't been long, but human beings shouldn't be locked up in small rooms without sanitary facilities.<p>

Even though unlike himself, she was clean and pretty as a new penny, she looked like hell. Worry was etching the first lines into her face, and gave her mouth a downwards pull that hadn't been there when he'd last seen her. But then of course, when he'd last seen her, Rei had still been with them. Makoto and Aiko, too.  
>"I can't take you with me yet," she said and crossed the room to enclose him in rib-breaking hug. He reached around her and held on fast. She smelled of sunshine; he inhaled deeply. "I know."<br>"We'll figure something out."  
>"Don't."<p>

Minako pushed away from him. "You can't be serious."  
>He smiled at her, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to be with Rei, Minako. I don't want to live in a world without her. Not again."<br>"We don't even know if she's really-" her voice died away.  
>"Dead? She is." He swallowed. "There is no way she could have survived this, whether fire is her element or not. Let me go, Minako."<br>Her mind was a swirl of incomprehension. Minako would never give up. She'd found a way to live without Takeshi, and he was sure this darling girl of his would go on and on and on, never giving up and that was what would kill her one day in the faraway future. She'd go out in a blaze, that one, but only after everyone else.

"I am trying everything I can to keep you alive, Ando!" she exclaimed, and he could read any maneuver she'd pulled in her thoughts. There were many, and in other circumstances, he'd tease her about some. Dual citizenship. As if people cared about politics when they could confront a thing they feared. A monster. Hadn't she ever read Beowulf?

So instead, he smiled again, and reached for her hand. "I know, sweetheart, I know." He stroked her palm with his thumb. Their friendship had always been an affectionate one, same as with Umino. He wished he could that bugger one more time, but it was probably too late for that. "Mi," he said, "this is it. This must be it. If you want to help me, then make sure that I go soon." His voice broke away for a moment and he had to close his eyes and swallow down the tears. "It'll help Usagi and Mamoru. And it'll be a relief for me. I cannot be here without her. I don't want to."

She'd gone pale, and even though they barely aged, he could see all her years in her eyes, all her deaths, all her injuries, and all of her dashed hopes. "You're my best friend," she finally whispered, as the tears began to spill down her cheeks. "Please don't ask this of me."  
>He hugged her again. "Okay, I won't," he whispered against her hair, but both knew he was lying. The master of illusion, going in for one of last tricks.<br>She held onto him with all her might. "Rei wouldn't want you to do this."  
>"I know," he muttered and closed his eyes, the image of Rei Hino burning brightly in his mind.<p>

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Minako left the cell, leaving the door behind her wide open. She walked through the secret corridors, and entered the elevator. Pressing 1, she breathed in, waiting for the doors to close. With a soft swoosh, they did.<p>

When she arrived on the ground floor, Takeshi was already waiting for her. Silently, he offered her a tissue, and she wiped away the rest of her eye make-up. They exited the palace in complete and utter silence.

Once they were in the car, Minako took a deep breath, reached for her phone, and sent out a message. It was an anonymous tip, and as Ando had requested, the news vans would be here soon, and she and Takeshi would be gone.

"Drive," she whispered, and Takeshi did.

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful bright day. The sun was shining high in the sky, and each ray was reflected all over the city, bouncing from crystal to crystal, until it seemed as if all of Tokyo was aglow. It smelled just like Minako had, of sunshine. But this was winter sunshine, sharp and crisp and clear, a new beginning, a last shot at hope before night would fall early once more. There were the last hints of some storm clouds in the west, where the sun would soon set.<p>

Ando Tanaka walked out of the secret government building where he had been imprisoned. He'd encountered a few agents and employes as he'd left, but they'd run as fast and as hard as they could once they'd realised who he was. What he was.

He could already hear sirens, and knew that Minako had placed the anonymous tip he'd asked her for. Hands in his pockets, he walked down the empty parking lot, looking for all intents and purposes like a man on a little afternoon stroll. Nobody there. Nobody at risk. Just himself, the sunshine, and the memory of Rei Hino,

fierce,  
>beautiful,<br>gentle.

He snapped a small flame into life. It burned on his hand, a welcome heat. One of the first things he'd had to learn all those lives ago when he'd become a shitennou was how to call the fire without letting it burn him. It was an easy lesson once learned, a simple trick once mastered. It was only fitting that this first lesson would now pave the way for Usagi's and Mamoru's peaceful reign and would allow him to atone for his sins. It would bring him to Rei once more.

In the distance, he could see that a tall, graceful figure had appeared. Sailor Pluto had come to pay her last respects. Of course she had known all along. He nodded at her, and she returned the gesture, the ruby in her staff reflecting the sunlight. Soon, it would reflect fire.

Watching the flame dance in his palm, its greedy and joyful flickering, he let go of the control that bound it. So simple. You want to control fire? Do it. You don't? Then let go. Helios had smiled when he'd taught him that, Ando remembered, as he felt the energy rise. As the heat enclosed him like a lover, seared into his body and soul, he spread his arms and looked at the blue sky one last time.

What a beautiful bright day, Ando Tanaka thought, what a beautiful -

* * *

><p>*** End of Chapter 17 ***<p> 


	20. Chapter 18

A/N: This is the last chapter, only to be followed by an epilogue. Massive thanks to Charlie for being the best emotional sounding board anyone could ever wish for.

* * *

><p><em>The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.<br>_

verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>It was the first time in this life that Usagi had shouted at her. The queen had screamed herself hoarse before breaking down in tears, and her husband had been no better. Each word had cut Minako like a blade, and by the end, she found herself hurting worse than she had after her battle with Ace. Cuts in the body would heal, these ones would not.<p>

Minako didn't have it in herself to point out that really, Ando had just done for them what they needed but couldn't bring themselves to say. Just a few days ago, back in Takeshi's and Setsuna's apartment, even Usagi had said that she couldn't stand in the way of Ando's wishes. Now Minako hadn't, and was paying the price. It was unfair, but no more than what had happened to her sisters, to Ando, to little Aiko. Fairness just wasn't a factor in their lives, so she doubled down and let them hurl their pain at her. Wasn't that part of her duty too? So Minako sat quiet, clutching her phone so hard that her knuckles turned white, while Usagi sobbed and Mamoru raged on and on, grief and guilt spurring him on.

Takeshi had offered to go with her, but this was between Minako and Ando. She considered this the last favour she would ever do her friend; trying to convince Mamoru and Usagi that they were not to blame for the disastrous turn his life had taken and that they should make the most of this new world, this new chance. It didn't matter that Minako hated every second of it, what mattered was that neither Ando nor Rei would have wanted Usagi and Mamoru to feel guilty for dying a death they considered worthy and honourable.

Every few seconds, her phone buzzed, one of her countless alerts going off, telling her what so and so was reporting about the palace. It was her job to check whether the news were what Ando had hoped for: an absolution for the royal couple. The innocence of their magic fully restored by the damnation of his own.

Minako swallowed.

"I THOUGHT YOU CONSIDERED HIM YOUR BEST FRIEND! HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DO THIS, MINAKO? HOW-"

She exhaled and straightened herself. She'd been saying the same things for over an hour, and was running out of different words and phrases. All she said fell on deaf ears, but if she was honest, it would have been the same situation if the roles were reversed. She would never believe Mamoru that he couldn't have stopped Ando and that this suicide was what he really wanted. Never. And she would never forgive him either.

But she owed it to her dead friend to persist. "Ando wanted this. He wanted you to live in a world where you had a chance to watch your daughter be born, to lead this city, to make the most of this new world. That's what he wanted."

She got up, her nerves finally too frayed to continue. Every time she thought of Ando, alone in his last moments, she thought of Rei, thought of Makoto and Aiko, thought of Michiru. So many losses. She hoped that this future of theirs would be worth it.

Making a move to stroke Usagi's shoulder, she was shocked to find that the Queen flinched and drew herself back, forbidding the contact Minako so craved.

"Right," Minako whispered, and got up. "I'll leave you to- I'll just leave."

Mamoru put an arm around his wife. As always, they were united. That at least was good to see, thought Minako, and tried to keep herself upright.

It had been a long time since she'd felt this alone.

"Yes," Usagi whispered, not meeting Minako's eyes. "Just leave."

Correction: since she'd been this alone.

* * *

><p>Takeshi had broken the news to Umino, Ami, Hiromasa, and Haruka. They'd all met in the private kitchen because it was one of the few rooms the new staffers, the external security personnel and Takeshi's people did not enter.<p>

The kitchen did not have a TV, so they were spared from watching one of the countless newscasts that detailed how Ando Tanaka had died. One station had managed to film Ando's suicide; they had a helicopter in the sky, and while Takeshi had seen the gruesome images once, he would rather not inflict them on anyone else. So instead, he told them about Minako's and Ando's meeting, and the event that followed.

Haruka had grudgingly nodded, and said, "wouldn't have thought he'd had it in him," and left. It was rare praise, and likely not to be offered again. Where she had gone, Takeshi did not know.

Hiromasa had blinked, and not said anything at all before following Haruka out of the door. Theirs was an odd alliance, born out of loss and suffering. Thinking of Nephrite all those hundreds and thousands of years ago, Takeshi knew that Hiromasa would seek solace from a bottle tonight, drinking with Haruka until both reached the blissful point of incoherence.

Umino had kissed his wife, tears brimming in his eyes, and had very politely excused himself to make a phone call, leaving Ami and Takeshi the only people in the room. They were sitting at the big, ordinary, normal-people dining table, except that there were too few people, and even so, none of them was what one could consider normal anyway. Takeshi cleared his throat.

Ami wiped a tear from her eyes.

"I feel it keeps getting worse," she finally said. Not one to waste words, Takeshi didn't reply and instead nursed the glass of vodka he'd found in one of the cabinets. For decades, wine had been his drink of choice, but tonight he'd needed something stronger. Ami surprised him when she got up, fetched herself a glass and poured more than the customary two fingers for herself too. She raised it, gave it a solemn, contemplative look, and whispered "to Ando".

Takeshi matched her. "To Ando."

* * *

><p>Even with the many new people in the palace, it was still easy to walk in uninhabited wings, amble down solitary corridors, and avoid human contact when one wanted to.<p>

Minako very much wanted to, so her steps lead her down the passages that were still marked yellow on that map of Umino's. She was walking towards the heart of the palace and entered the throne room through a hidden door.

It was empty, and eery, and the walls were still scorched. She crossed the room and came to a stop in front of a blackened wall behind the throne. She outstretched her hands and touched the wall. It was warmer than the others, as if Ando's and Rei's fire still lingered here. The dungeons in which Rei had died were just underneath the throne room. It was weird to think that this palace, grown out of the desires and ideas of Usagi and Mamoru, held dungeons directly underneath the throne room. Perhaps it said a little more about all of them than they'd previously considered.

Theirs was a life of power and entrapment, time and time again. They'd had happy moments, perhaps even some happy years, but never in this room. She drew her hand back and looked at it for a long time; it had come away black.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, when the sky was still dark, a plane landed at Tokyo Haneda airport. Its passengers emerged, tired but excited after the long flight. They quickly boarded the buses that would bring them to the terminal where they'd retrieve their luggage and either return home or to their hotels.<p>

One passenger did not share the excitement and made her way down the gangway more slowly. She was only carrying a small weekender bag, and had no luggage to retrieve later. Dressed in a simple but clearly expensive black coat and matching pants and flats, a cashmere scarf tied neatly around her neck, she looked ready for a funeral. But then wasn't she always?

At the foot of the stairs, she was met by a vaguely familiar face. It had been a long time.

"Hello Hotaru," Umino greeted her and took her bag from her hands.

The young woman looked around; not finding whom she was looking for. "Setsuna was to come and pick me up."

"I know," Umino said and began walking, offering Hotaru no other choice but to fall in step beside him. If anyone minded that these two civilians did not board the last of the passenger buses, or side-stepped the security personnel, nobody said a thing. Hotaru looked over her shoulder; nobody was paying them the slightest attention. Was this magic or sheer luck?

"She told me that you'd be arriving here today."

Hotaru focused on the man who'd come to meet her and gave him shrewd look. "She told me that you've been asking for me to do so."

"I have," Umino replied simply, holding open a door for her. They entered the building, a mass of grey corridors and absence of people. "Take my hand, please," he said and offered it to her. Hotaru complied, and before long, they were standing in a deserted park. Behind them, the palace loomed.

Hotaru looked around. No people, no lights, just the crystal and the stars. No Setsuna, and no Haruka either.

"Do you have any news on Michiru?"

Umino walked over to a metal bench and sat down. Hotaru followed him, but wiped dew from it before sitting. She shivered deeper into her coat and scarf; with her thin leather shoes and thinner nylon socks, she wasn't dressed for a surprise meeting in the winter air.

Umino looked at the palace, taking a moment to answer her question. "Mamoru and Hiromasa believe that Makoto is still alive under the crystal, so the same theory could be extended to Michiru."

"But you don't think so?" Hotaru asked, wondering whether Usagi and Setsuna had realised why Umino had insisted she come here. She had figured it out the second Setsuna called to let her know her presence was wanted. There was only ever one reason she was called after all.

"Doesn't matter," Umino said. He looked tired and worn, but not defeated. Given his best friend's gruesome death just a few hours ago, she considered this a strange surprise.

"What matters then?" she asked and pulled a pair of black leather gloves from her coat pockets, slipping them on. They'd be a while.

Umino leaned back. "Did you know I wanted to become a professor before all of this started? Philosophy. I could lose myself in books and thoughts for days." He smiled absent-mindedly, that allegedly so brilliant mind of his straying back.

When the shitennou had returned, Setsuna had carefully relayed all information. There'd even been files. Hotaru was fairly certain that there was only little she didn't know about the man on the bench. Brilliant student, huge family in Kyoto, loved his maternal grandmother who had often sent him socks she knitted (all the colours of the rainbow, but the files indicated that he preferred the ones in yellow and blue), fell for Ami but took a long time to really get to know her, mildly allergic to strawberries, had considered physics for a while but then decided on philosophy, liked Ayn Rand, detested Nietzsche, and so on.

So she nodded, a tiny gesture that didn't do the truth any justice.

"There's a verse in the Katha-Upanishad. If Ando were here, he'd tell you that it inspired Somerset Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge. It was… he loved that book," Umino said, his voice drifting off for a moment. Ando had carried that book with when he'd travelled the world. Umino had fished the battered and burned copy out of the ruins of the east tower while they'd been there to regrow the crystals and to repair the palace. He pulled it from the pockets of his old duffle coat and offered it to Hotaru, who accepted it.

"First page," Umino instructed and Hotaru flipped the charred book open. A photo of Rei Hino fell into her hands. The senshi was wearing her miko uniform and looked straight into the camera. The smile was not on her lips, only in her eyes. Rei's eyes had been the most wonderful violet. Hotaru still remembered that as little girl, she had admired Rei the most. Like Michiru, Rei was all poise. Unlike Michiru, whom Hotaru loved deeply, Rei was gentle. She ran a finger over the picture and then carefully placed it in the middle of the book before returning to the first page.

"The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over," she began, "thus the wise say the path to salvation is hard." In a handwriting that was all edges and corners, someone had scribbled _you don't say_ next to it. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Ando Tanaka's cheek had been the first entry in his file. It was closely followed by the words 'highly self-destructive' and 'dangerous'. As it turned out, Setsuna's first assessment had been spot on.

"Nobody has expected it to be this hard though," Umino eventually said. "And both you and I know that it doesn't have to be this way. And for what it's worth, I think Michiru knew that it shouldn't be."

Hotaru closed the book and handed it back. Umino carefully stored it in his pockets once more.

"That was a low blow," she admonished him softly. Michiru had been both friend and mother to her, and she wouldn't let anyone use her for emotional blackmail.

"It's called the truth," Umino replied with a tired smile. "Nobody ever said it was fun."

"I cannot do what you want me to."

"No, you don't want to," Umino corrected her. "But that is neither here nor there. I have not asked for you to end this because we are- because we lost so many of our own, even though that alone would be an excellent reason."

"Why then?" Hotaru indulged him, not pointing out that he had not yet formally asked her to do anything, not that adherence to protocol was an issue in this case.

"We can turn the crystals into homes, hospitals, schools, and even a palace, but we cannot stop them from growing because the silver crystal is trying to heal this world. The volcano underneath the palace was the first, but not the last. Michiru encountered another one and died while putting it out. There will be many more in the months to come, and eventually, we will not only live in a crystal city, but a crystal world. At some point down the line - I estimate 70 to 80 years, it's hard to be precise - it will become uninhabitable. Granted, that is a long way off, but it's coming anyway. And with only six senshi left, already including Serenity, there quite simply isn't the manpower to bring about the final bout of healing."

Hotaru opened her mouth, but found herself without words. Umino continued, pushing his round glasses back up his nose.

"Mamoru will not be able to help, either. I don't think you've ever been to Elysion, but it's a wonderful place. Or rather, it was. It's drawing on the golden crystal, of course, same as Mamoru's life force. And as more and more power is needed to keep this planet from burning out from the inside, the less is left to sustain Mamoru's life. Quite simply, he won't be able to help because he'll be long dead by then. That is why Little Lady won't be born. That is why Serenity's line will end. I don't need to tell you what that means for this planet."

He got up, his tale told, his yarn spun. "So, really, as you can see, this is not about whether you want to do something or not. It is only about what needs doing." He smiled down at her. "In a way, everyone has been right about Serenity being our one and only chance, her and Endymion both. But not in this life." He looked at palace, tall, dark, and forlorn against the sky. She stared at him, this dishevelled, boyish man; the only one who'd read the signs. "In this life, we never had one." Storing his hands inside his pockets, he wandered off, calling to her over his shoulder.

"Goodbye, Hotaru. I am sure we'll meet again."

* * *

><p>The door opened softly. Takeshi turned around in the strange, new bed his assistant had picked out for him that he couldn't bring himself to care about. The empty vodka glass stood on the bedside table; it had neither brought the solace nor the anaesthesia he had secretly hoped for. Without a doubt, Haruka and Hiro had been more successful, but then he'd stopped long before the alcohol impaired his judgement. He was needed here. Mamoru might call for him, or-<p>

The sound of someone stepping out of their shoes was easily identifiable to his trained ears and the soft footfalls told him that his nighttime visitor was approaching the bed. In the darkness, he could make out a slim, familiar figure.

He sat up and pulled Minako into his arms.

Her stained hands left black traces on his pyjamas, sheets, and finally, on his skin.

* * *

><p>Hotaru was still sitting on the bench when the first rays of sunshine crept across the horizon. By the time the sun fully claimed the day, the slight young woman was replaced by a stern, serene soldier with a glaive in her hands.<p>

Before long, she was joined by the Guardian of Time and Space.

Together, the two women looked at the palace. It gleamed in the sunshine.

"There is no guarantee that the same won't happen again," Pluto said. It always looked better during the day. More stately than imposing, more architecture than wilderness. More hope than defeat.

"That is not for me to consider," Saturn replied, feeling the weight of the dying world on her shoulders. Once she had been called, no matter by whom, she was bound to her duty. Umino had of course known that, but where from, she could not fathom. "You know what my task is."

"You think there is no saving this world?" Pluto's voice still held some hope because Setsuna Meioh had not given up yet. She'd been willing to sacrifice her relationship for this new world, believing that somehow, miraculously, the world would right itself despite its injuries.

Saturn knelt down and touched a gloved hand to the ground. She closed her eyes. For a moment, the palace shone golden, not silver, but the Soldier of Silence paid it no heed. Hers was a choice entirely in black and white.

"No."

"I will not be allowed to warn them," Pluto said, coming as close as she ever would to rage against her fate.

"Of course not. But you will know, and perhaps, you can help them."

Pluto twirled her staff in her hand, her mind aglow with all the different scenarios, the risks, the possibilities. The things she had already seen, and the ones she never would. "Whom? The Terrans? Serenity and Endymion up on the moon? Jupiter and her child? Venus and Kunzite secretly down here?" The words escaped her against her better judgement. Oh, how she hated to be human sometimes, fallible, guileless. How much easier it would be to go through life without these burdens. The next time, she would not make certain mistakes again, would not allow herself to indulge once more.

"Don't be bitter," Saturn admonished as if reading her mind. "We have choices, we have destinies. And you and I, we have to put the latter before the former. Always. But don't forget one thing: perhaps our destinies lie in trying again until the world is whole. Until they get it right."

Pluto considered this for a moment. "I watched him burn," she offered as a result.

"And?" Saturn replied, wondering where this was going, while knowing it wouldn't change anything. There were only a few more minutes left, and then everything would begin anew. She could feel the Glaive becoming heavier already. Its powers were calling to her. This planet, and the Queen that was to rule it, deserved better. She deserved all of her senshi, and perhaps, her senshi deserved happiness. Either way, this tained orb had no chance of surviving. Better to bring about a new time; perhaps it would be the blessed one they had all been hoping for.

"It wasn't- I knew so little, Hotaru," Pluto finally said.

"You had not seen this before." Saturn was surprised, not only by being addressed with her civilian name, but by the fact itself. Even she sometimes forgot that Pluto was not omniscient, merely an observer. And like all observers, there were things Pluto noticed and events she did not.

"I had seen him burning on the moon, all those years ago, but not here."

"You will know more the next time," Hotaru said. Next time. Another life, another chance. This rebirth had allowed her to grow up free and loved, no metal heart, no cyborgs, no Mistress 9. Perhaps the next life would return her to all of this, or it would see earth cured long before it was tainted.

It was all possible.

Little Aiko might carry a different name and be born on the moon.

Little Lady might roam planets and play in the sun, aging slowly, but without fail.

Zoisite might never be Umino, but steer gently from the background anyway, his mind never not at work.

Pluto might find love, or she might not.

Neptune and Uranus would be together again, in the distance. Of that she had no doubt.

Destiny.

The senshi and their shitennou might be more than the pillars aiding Serenity's and Endymion's love story. Who knew? She did not. It wasn't hers to know.

So the two women stood in silence for a moment, against the backdrop of the palace they had paid for in love and blood and hope. Saturn raised the glaive.

"I will see you in another life, my friend."

"Farewell," Pluto whispered, and the world went black.

* * *

><p>*** End of Chapter 18 ***<p> 


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard.  
><em>

verse in the Katha-Upanishad

* * *

><p>Two weeks had passed since the Queen had instructed Venus to assassinate the Terran enchantress, meaning it had also been two weeks since Venus had found out about Jupiter's child and Kunzite had come to impart his final warning. Two weeks. Such a long time, and so little in the way of results.<p>

Somewhere in the dungeons nobody knew about, Mercury was holed up in some dingy and dark room, experimenting with new spells. She was confident that she could find ways to break any and every of Beryl's shields, but she needed time, and more importantly, a safe place to experiment. Even in Mercury's careful hands, new magic was often explosive.

In the meantime, Venus had tried and failed to find out where Beryl was hiding. The last she had heard had been that blasted excursion east; and no spy or spell could tell her anything else. As far as she knew, Beryl was still somewhere in the eastern part of Endymion's troubled kingdom, Jadeite and Zoisite by her side like silly puppies.

It was frustrating and utterly ridiculous. Venus was not by nature violent, but killing Beryl was something she almost looked forward to. It felt right, it felt important. And yet, how could she kill someone whose location she didn't know?

A knock at the door interrupted her musings.

"Come in," she called. Probably Serenity; wanting to go down to that blasted planet again. Or Jupiter; perhaps the fool needed help crocheting a blanket. The thought alone made her want to hurl a candle stick at the wall.

It was Artemis.

"The Queen is asking for you, my Lady."

"Lord Artemis, when did you get here?" Venus exclaimed and smiled. They'd always gotten along well, and the Mauan had helped her when she first became a senshi. Without him, she'd still not know the proper protocol when talking to the Queen. The Venusian Court was far less formal than the Lunar one, and at first, every step had been a mystery to her. She would have also never found out what happened to Serenity's father were it not for the Mauan ambassador, who was by far and wide the best gossip on the planet. For the past weeks, he had been holed up in an Interconstellationary lecture series; a pet project of his that he extravagantly liked to indulge in.

"Just this morning," he smiled, the joy of the last days still present in his eyes. "The ambassador from Andromeda had the most interesting questions on the nature of stardust and its magical properties. Fascinating, but I won't bore you with it."

Venus, who had always simply used magic rather than thought about it, smiled back at him. "Tell the Lady Mercury about it; I'm sure she'll be most keen to hear what you have learned."

Artemis nodded while Venus crossed the room and stepped past him into the hallway.

"A most insightful scholar, the Lady Mercury," he replied, "but from what I gather, currently a little too preoccupied to indulge an old man."

"You're not old," Venus teased, "you're just wise." Artemis's age was a mystery nobody had yet uncovered, but then of course, since he was rather vain, nobody ever asked for fear of offending him. Luna knew, of course, but then Luna knew a lot. Thankfully, neither Mauan, no matter how keen their ears or how sharp their eyes, had heard about all the silly things the princess and, Venus grudgingly admitted to herself, her guardians had been up to the past year. Heavens forbid they found out about Jupiter.

They reached the end of a candle lit hallway and Artemis fell back.

"You aren't coming?" Venus asked, a little surprised. It was not like the Queen to use a high ranking ambassador as a messenger.

Artemis looked down, but Venus could still catch the smile sliding off his unlined face. "No, my lady. You go on ahead." Had he been slighted? Was he upset? Before Venus could inquire, the white double-doors in front of them opened, spilling bright light into the dark hallway.

* * *

><p>Serenity lounged on the floor, a ballgown balled up as a pillow under her head. Jupiter, a little pale, sat in the corner, stitching a rose pattern on a new veil, while Mars stared out at the night sky.<p>

"It's become so boring around here," Serenity yawned, wondering if she could cajole one of her two guardians into taking her down to Earth. She missed the heavy smell of the roses and sweet song of the blue birds outside Endymion's window in the morning. But she didn't miss Endymion himself, and for very good reason. She had to stifle back a laugh. Little did her senshi know that Endymion had taken to spending every night on the Moon. Oh, last night had been- beautiful. And fun. Beautiful fun. She twirled a long strand of silver hair, giving herself to the pleasurable memories while doing her best to look decidedly bored.

Serenity was a lot of things: playful, naive, enchanting, but stupid she was not. And she was the crown princess, so magic came easily to her. If she wanted to open a secret magical portal for Endymion, then she could. Didn't take her more energy than rolling onto her stomach. In order to keep up appearances, she did of course have to whine a little, lest her sisters became suspicious.

"If you are bored, my princess," Mars said without turning back, "then read a book. Mercury has left you a nice selection over there on the chaise."

Serenity faked a snort. In fact, she and Endymion had a most fun hour last night, reading the volume of Venusian poetry. Poor Mercury had thought she'd given Serenity some nice love poems, when in fact, she'd given Serenity some nice _love_ poems of the wink wink, nudge nudge variety, and thus, Endymion and Serenity a lot of ideas. Venus would have noticed the mix-up, but her head guardian was more than a little preoccupied with politics these days. Probably pouring over maps and consulting people again.

"Where's Venus?" she thus continued her little charade, kicking her bare feet up in the air and playing using her toes to play with the hem of her chiffon dress. This was all too easy.

"Busy," Mars replied.

"And Mercury?"

"Busier."

Serenity sighed again, this time more dramatically. Better lay it on thick. "I'm bored." It would be only a couple more hours before she could see Endymion again. "You know what, I'm so bored, I might as well go to bed. And Jupiter is already tired anyway; you've been yawning all evening. Actually, all day. You yawn a lot," Serenity observed, and stopped kicking her feet. For just a second, she thought Jupiter looked panicked, but then the moment passed. Serenity pulled her feet down and got up, not bothering to straighten her dress. She'd get rid of it in a minute anyway.

"Please send in my maid; I'll turn in."

Mars turned around, facing her princess for the first time in twenty minutes. The circles under her eyes looked like bruises by now. "As you wish. Jupiter, let's go."

For a moment, Serenity felt guilty. Here she was, playing the fool, when her sister was clearly unhappy. Before she could reconsider, Mars had withdrawn, taking Jupiter with her.

* * *

><p>Venus blinked and shielded her eyes. What the-<p>

"Venus. Come in."

The light subsided, like a big wave drawing back to leave a bare beach behind. It was like one of those mornings on Halimede. God forsaken place, both beautiful and terrifying. Venus had only been there once, with her father when he was still alive and she was little. That was before Neptune had properly civilised the place and long before its inclusion into the Silver Alliance. It had entered only two years ago, and the whole thing had been a bit of a scandal. She'd once talked to Jadeite about it, who had laughed and said that of course the Silver Alliance would admit a planet that was basically just one big ocean with three giant waves and a tiny population living on a single mountain before it would consider Earth. She missed him, but now was no time to indulge personal feelings. She was in front of her queen, and not yet kneeling. Bad form, Venus, she scolded herself and advanced into the room.

The Queen was sitting in her throne on the dais and holding the silver crystal in her thin hands. For the first time in many years, she did not look eternally youthful, just eternally alive. Next to her, tall and strong, and above all, graceful, was a seldom visitor. Venus forced herself forward; this was most unusual.

"My Queen," she bowed. Straightening up again, she turned to the visitor and inclined her head. More she would not get. "Lady Pluto."

The Guardian of Time and Space did not reply, leaving the room in uncomfortable silence until the Queen cast her an inquisitive look. Whatever thought had been holding Pluto captive, the senshi visibly cast it aside. "Venus. It's been a long-" she seemed to trip over the word, "time." There was an odd look in Pluto's eyes, one Venus could do nothing to place.

"Lady Pluto has arrived with information for you, Venus."

Pluto and information, what an unconventional combination, Venus thought cynically before arranging an expression of polite curiosity. "How wonderful. I am most grateful. What information, my lady?"

Pluto ran a hand over her gown; it was made from fine, dark grey silk and looked like a river made from metal. It was exquisite. It would look even better on Mars, Venus thought with unusual spite.

"You seek the enchantress. It is imperative that you find her, so I have come to offer you assistance."

Venus's poker face threatened to slip, and only years of training under Artemis's careful tutelage and in Kunzite's bedroom kept her from betraying the intensity of her surprise. "My Lady, forgive me, but I thought you were forbidden from-" she searched for a word. Meddling, interfering, betraying that thrice blasted oath you oh so like to remind us mere mortals of, "-sharing".

Pluto smirked; looking for all intents and purposes as if any and every thought of Venus's had been an open book to her. "I am sworn to protect my princess, same as you. And sometimes, new avenues must be undertaken. I am also just telling you where to go, not what to do. The _choice_", she stressed the word, "is after all always yours." Pluto descended the stairs leading up to the throne just as the Queen got up and disappeared behind the white curtains leading out into the Eternal Gardens.

Whatever was going on here, it seemed to Venus, was happening with the implicit blessing of their ruler. "So," Pluto resumed, now face to face with the leader of Serenity's guard, "Lady Venus, the one you seek is in the lower kingdom of Eastern Aurum. There is village at the foot of the largest fire mountain. Find the volcano, find it before it erupts. Do so tonight." She pressed a map into her hands. Oddly, it looked just like one she had seen on Kunzite's desk months ago. She stared at it. The handwriting was his.

"I-"

"Shush," Pluto hushed her, and then did the oddest thing. She leaned in and hugged the younger senshi. She was cool to the touch, and smelled of the purple flowers Jupiter occasionally wore in her hair. Her words were a whisper, but there was no mistaking the urgency in her voice. "Find a way, Venus."

Pluto let go of her and stepped back. "Farewell, Lady Venus."

Out of thin air, Pluto's staff materialised. The senshi reached for it, grey mists curled around them, and when it was gone, so was Pluto.

* * *

><p>Clutching the map, Venus hurried down, down, down, down, until finally, she threw open a rusted door. "Mercury! I need you!"<p>

* * *

><p>Golden light twinkled in the air for just a second before skilled hands flicked it out. Shielded in Mercury's protective magic, Venus almost felt safe.<p>

She looked around. Behind her, the mountain loomed large, but it was not yet warm, not yet burning. Her heart beat in her chest. A couple of large tents were scattered around her; this must be the village Pluto referred to. Now. Time to find Beryl.

"You won't," a voice cut into her thoughts and she slowly turned around. He was leaning against a leafless tree, lighting a pipe with a snap of his fingers. The flame was almost as golden as the signs of her teleportation had been. Pure magic. They had come far.

"Nasty habit, you know," she said lightly and pushed her hood down. There was no need to hide now. She walked over to him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. The last she'd heard about him was that he had fallen to Beryl hook, line, and sinker. That would make him her enemy, and yet, he looked just as he had when she'd still called him a friend.

"Kunzite warned you about us, didn't he?" He looked up at the night sky, an odd expression on his face. Oh, if she could read people like he could read minds. The world would be all open doors to her. But alas, this was not to be, so she might as well answer his question.

"More specifically," she corrected him, "he warned me about you and Beryl."

"Mhhm," Jadeite said, and took a deep drag. "And about himself, I wager."

"Of course."

The two looked at each other. Here they were, two old friends, at the foot of a mountain that could spew fire. She reached out and touched his stubbled cheek. "You look horrible."

"And you should look afraid, yet you don't."

And suddenly, Venus realised something. _The one you seek is there_, Pluto had said. She'd of course thought that the senshi meant Beryl, but whom had Venus been seeking for weeks? Not the witch. Her friend.

What she must do was suddenly so clear. Risky, but clear. How could she not have seen this before? With new-found confidence, she grinned at him. "I've got two missions tonight, and my instincts tell me that this one is more important."

"And less scary?"

She laughed, genuinely. "Dear me, no."

"So, try to kill me then. Even though I have to say, I'm quite flattered that the Queen would send you to dispose of such a lowly Terran as myself. You've got quite the reputation, you know." In fact, she didn't. They'd thought that all of her secret missions were just that: secrets. At some point, she'd have to talk to the Queen and let her know that her secret assassin was a secret no more.

For now, Venus cocked her head. "I am the Soldier of Love and Beauty, Jadeite. This part of my mission relates to the latter part of my title. My other mission relates to the former."

"You wanna make me pretty?" he asked, the old glint in his eyes and a hint of a smile on his lips.

"That's a lost cause," she teased, wondering where the lightness came from. Originally, she was here to kill, and yet the only thing missing from their usual banter was the wine.

"I'm not here as a soldier, I've come about Mars."

The smile remained in place, frozen.

"What about her?"

Venus took a deep breath. She wasn't keen on Pluto, didn't like her all that much, even though she never really knew why, but she trusted her. If Pluto said this was important, if Pluto of all people for once imparted a warning, then she would be a fool not to heed it. Even if heeding it meant breaking vows, forsaking oaths, and defying her Queen. She'd kill Beryl later, now it was time to take care of Jadeite and Mars, once and for all. She took a deep breath.

"You will marry her."

He snorted. "Not on the cards."

"I put it on the cards."

"Because you're the Soldier of Love and Beauty?" He laughed at her now, but there it was, the despair that she'd seen so many times in Mars's eyes.

Venus smiled. You only despaired if you loved. That was the whole point. This battle was one she would win.

"Yes."

"You are my friend, Venus. Even though you're not supposed to be. And she was my lover. Even though she wasn't supposed to be. Friendship can exist in secret, but marriage cannot. I will not make my love for her a dirty secret. Kunzite already told you as much. For once, we are in agreement, my commander and I." His voice caught and he busied himself with his pipe.

"You are not listening to me. Marry her. In public. We can't do it on the Moon, obviously, but we have two other planets available. Earth or Venus. Personally, I'd go with the latter. People there love love. They will invite love. They will celebrate love. Especially so if the Head of State officiates."

His head snapped up. "That's you."

"I am aware of that," she said firmly.

"What of your Queen?"

Venus thought back to the Queen's aged face, to the silver crystal in her hands, to her disappearance into the Eternal Gardens. To Pluto's presence and the silver light. "She will not approve officially, but no harm will come to you or Mars." Venus thought for a moment, then sighed. "I might as well chuck Jupiter into the mix."

Jadeite laughed, madness and despair and a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You're not on the cattle market on Solstice, Venus."

"She is with child. You know whose it is."

Jadeite's jaw dropped. "You're serious."

"I am. You and Mars, Nephrite and Jupiter. They'll have to leave Serenity's service, but we will find other ways to make use of their considerable talents. Maybe guard her when she's with your prince, or enter diplomatic service."

"You'd reduce your princess' guard to two?" Jadeite asked, incredulous.

Behind them, a tent rustled, and Zoisite stepped out. He didn't even pretend he hadn't been listening. "She'll replace them," he offered. As he ambled closer, hands in his pockets, he threw her a shrewd glance. "Uranus and who else?"

Venus turned to him. He'd always been smart. Frighteningly so. "Neptune. Do I need to shield myself? Any daggers?"

He shrugged, looking like an innocent boy. "Maybe. Depends on whether what you promise is genuine."

"And otherwise you'll stab me?"

"I will before I let you hurt my friend," he said solemnly, "but it might reassure you that I would take no joy from it."

"Zoisite," Jadeite said softly, and the two men exchanged a look.

"Fair enough," said the younger one after a silent moment. "I will talk to Endymion. Then he can talk to Kunzite. That will be a bit of a problem, naturally."

"And who talks to Beryl?" Venus asked, her voice quiet.

Jadeite opened his mouth to answer, but Zoisite silenced him with a gesture. "What you are promising, Venus, is not just a match of love. It is a match that will pave the way, not for Earth's inclusion in the Silver Alliance, not just yet, but for Serenity and Endymion. This is more about politics than anything else, no matter what you say about the love that runs rampant on your planet. If you offer us politics, why then do we need war? Beryl will see that, too. And if she doesn't, there are other ways. Now, Soldier of Love and Beauty, take this man to Venus, and then reunite him with his loved one."

Venus arched a brow. "I am not in the habit of taking orders."

"You are also usually not in the habit of committing treason."

She bristled. "And I am not doing so now. These are negotiations for the sanity of my sisters and the safety of my princess. There is no treason in that. Now, where is Beryl?"

"So that you can kill her?"

"Yes."

"Not here. Not anymore. Whoever informed you was working with old news."

Venus frowned. "I seriously doubt that." If there was one person in the universe whose news were never old, it was Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time and Space. Zoisite looked at Venus. "A penny for your thought."

She waved her hands at him, and Jadeite laughed. "Her thoughts are worth more than that."

Pluto had sent her here, and she must have known that Beryl was no longer present. She also must have known that this would give her a chance to negotiate with Zoisite and Jadeite. Making one thing more important than the other. _Find a way, Venus_, she'd said.

Well, she had. But there was much more still to do, much more to solve.

Helping Serenity and Endymion in that foolhardy quest to make their love official, for one. Without anyone getting killed, preferably. Getting the Venusian soldiers here on earth back under her command, and finding the one who'd stabbed her. Deal with Beryl. Training Uranus and Neptune (and what a battle that would be). Watching Jupiter embrace her happily ever after with that oaf and their unborn Terran child, now that it was suddenly safer than it had ever been.

Her heart clenched.

Returning Kunzite to their side.

Her side.

_Find a way, Venus_. That's what the Guardian of Time and Space had said.

And damn it, she would.

* * *

><p><strong>*** End of On Razor's Edge***<strong>


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